Drowning in Betrayal
by OTH Lover 1223
Summary: Nathan finally comes home from the NBA to learn that Haley is pregnant again. Everything seems to be going well, but when an old face shows up, mistakes are made. With Haley's trust betrayed by Nathan, she doesn't know what to do. She's drowning and she can't breathe anymore. Someone has to save her. Will Nathan prove to her that she can trust him again? Naley, Brucas, and Jeyton.
1. Missing You

Drowning in Betrayal  
OTH Lover 1223

Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill. It belongs to Mark Schwahn and the CW. I don't own any of the characters except the ones that I made up.

Summary: Nathan finally comes home to his family from the NBA to learn that Haley is pregnant again. Everything seems to be going well, but when an old face shows up, mistakes are made and the consequences follow. With Haley's trust betrayed by Nathan, she doesn't know what to do. She's drowning and she can't breathe anymore. Someone has to save her. Will Nathan prove to her that she can trust him again? Couples are Naley, Brucas, and Jeyton.

**AN: Here's my new story called "Drowning in Betrayal. Everything from seasons 1-4 from the show happened, including the split between Brooke and Lucas, the brief split between Nathan and Haley, and Jake's departure from Tree Hill. The only thing that didn't happen during seasons 1-4 was Jenny was never born until after season 4. Also, Jenny is not Nicki's daughter, but Jake and Peyton's and has a twin named Jason. Nothing from seasons 5-9 happened- Peyton and Lucas didn't leave Tree Hill, there's no Nanny Carrie, Nathan and Haley didn't split after the Carrie incident, Haley's parents never died, Dan is still alive, Lucas never proposed to Peyton in L.A., there was no cheating scandal with Renee, Peyton and Lucas never got married and had a baby, Brooke and Julian never married and had kids, Lindsey was never Lucas's editor (they don't know each other), and Nathan was never kidnapped. In my story, you should know that Brooke and Lucas got back together, got married and had kids, Nathan and Haley had two more children after Jamie, Jake returned to Tree Hill and married Peyton, and Quinn and Clay are living in Tree Hill. Also, in this story, Keith is still alive and is married to Karen. They have a daughter (Lily Roe Scott). The whole Tree Hill High School gang is about twenty six (except for Quinn, Clay, and Haley's siblings). Please read and review!**

**"**_I hear your name in certain circles and it always makes me smile. I spend my time just thinking about you and it's almost driving me wild." -Tyler Hilton_

**Chapter 1: Missing You**

Haley James Scott sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair. She sat down on the piano bench and rested her elbows on the closed piano. Nathan was gone again- he was traveling with his basketball team and she didn't know when they would be back. Nathan didn't know either. He said it could be weeks until he could return home. She missed Nathan and so did their three children. She was proud of him- of course she was- he had finally made it to the NBA at the age of twenty four, which was two years ago. She just wished that he didn't have to travel so often. He was on the Charlotte Bobcats, playing against the Lakers in California, then going to Boston to play the Celtics, and then playing the Knicks in New York.

She checked her phone to see if he had sent her any messages. Nothing. He hadn't called since yesterday. She wondered why.

"Momma, when's daddy coming home?" a voice behind her asked. She turned around to see her four year old son, Jackson Cooper Scott, looking at her with his bright blue eyes- ones that were identical to her husband's. She gave him a soft smile.

"I don't know, baby. Soon, I hope. Why don't you go to the kitchen with your brother and sister and I'll be right there to make you dinner," she suggested.

"Okay, momma," Jackson said, then raced to the kitchen, which was down the hall. She sighed and got up. Taking a deep, shaky, breath, she walked to the kitchen to see her three children obediently sitting down at the table. She smiled. How was she blessed with such wonderful children?

"Are you okay, mom?" her oldest son asked her. James Lucas Scott was born on June 13, which was her high school graduation. Sure, being a teenage mother was hard, but Nathan helped a lot. That was one of the million reasons why she loved him.

"I'm fine, Jamie. I just miss your dad," she said to her eight-year-old son.

"Me too, momma," her only daughter said.

Lydia Bob Scott was the sweetest little girl a parent could ask for. Two years after Jamie's birth, Lydia was born. Nathan wanted a little girl ever since they got married and he finally had one. They had named their baby girl after Haley's mom, Lydia James. Haley looked up to her mother so much and Lydia had helped Haley through her pregnancy a lot. Her blue eyes were identical to Nathan's, just like Jamie's and Jackson's. Lydia had blonde hair like Haley and enjoyed both music and basketball.

"I know, baby. What do you want for dinner?" she asked the three of them.

"Mac and cheese!" Jackson shouted. Jamie nodded his head in agreement and Lydia did shortly after. Haley smiled. They took that from her. Nathan had always teased her about it, but she saw nothing wrong with a grown woman, like herself, favoring mac and cheese for dinner.

"Coming right up," she laughed. She took the butter, cheese, and milk out of the fridge and then reached for the macaroni in the pantry. "How was your day, Jamie?" she asked her oldest, her back faced to him.

"I got a thirty out of thirty on my math test," he stated proudly. She turned around and gave him a high five.

"Good job, buddy! I knew you could do it. Anything else?" she asked him.

"Yeah, there's a spelling bee next week. Could you help me study for it?"

"Of course. Are you excited for it?" she asked. She had always loved spelling bees when she was his age. Of course, like Brooke told her, she was a nerd in high school, but she honestly didn't really care.

"As excited as I can be for a spelling bee," he chuckled.

"What? I loved spelling bees when I was your age," she told him.

"Yeah, dad said you were a nerd," he laughed. She just smiled.

"What about you guys? How was school?" she asked Jackson and Lydia.

"Fine," Lydia said. Haley just nodded. Lydia said that everyday, but Haley never asked why. She didn't want to be one of those mothers who snooped in her child's life.

"What about you, little buddy?" she asked her youngest.

He shrugged. "I finger painted, momma. And I played blocks."

"That's fun, bud," she told him. She was about to say something else when she heard her phone ring from the counter. She rushed over to pick up the phone.

"Hello?" She was interrupted by a high-pitched shriek from the her phone. She squeezed her eyes shut and pulled the phone away from her ear for a second.

"Brooke, you're making my ears bleed. Tone it down," she told her friend.

"I'm sorry, Tutor Girl, but guess what Kaitlin did today?" she said, referring to her one-year-old daughter. Brooke had three kids with Lucas Scott, who was her husband, Nathan's older brother, and Haley's best friend. They had two sons and one daughter- Ethan Keith Scott, Adam Nathaniel Scott, and Kaitlin Haley Scott. Ethan was six, Adam was four, and Kaitlin was one.

"What'd she do?" Haley said, rubbing her forehead.

"She said her first word!" Brooke squealed through the phone. Haley smiled weakly.

"That's great, Tigger."

"You want to know what it was? 'Mama.' I was her first word!"

"Didn't Ethan or Adam say 'Mama' first?" Haley asked.

"No, Ethan said 'net' and Adam said 'Daddy.' Lucas is upset that he wasn't his little girl's first word. But Ethan said a basketball word and Adam said 'Daddy,' so it's only fair that my baby girl said 'Mama,'" Brooke rambled.

"You're rambling, Tigger," Haley laughed.

"Sorry. So when's Mr. Hot Shot coming home?" Brooke joked.

Haley sighed and shook her head. "I don't know."

"I'm sorry, Tutor Girl. It most be hard with Nate traveling all the time. When Luke went on his book tour last year, it was like hell. I mean, Kaitlin was just born, and I had to take care of Ethan and Adam alone-"

"I know, Brooke. It's just hard," Haley mumbled.

"He'll be home before you know it, Hales. How's my godson doing?" Brooke said, changing the subject to her godson. Haley had asked Brooke and Lucas to be Jamie's godparents at their senior year party, and they both happily accepted.

"He's fine."

"What about the other boy? Uh, Jackson?" Brooke tried to remember.

"Yeah. He's fine and so is Lydia," Haley smiled.

"Have you talk to Peyton? She hasn't been answering my calls," Brooke said.

"Call Jake. Peyton's probably just busy with Jason and Jenny," Haley suggested. Like Brooke and Haley, Peyton married her high school sweetheart, Jake, after breaking up with Nathan. They had a son and a daughter. Jason and Jenny were twins, born during their senior year of college at UNC.

"How are you feeling, Haley?" Brooke asked, concerned. Haley hadn't been feeling well lately. She'd been nauseous, she'd had no appetite, and she had constant headaches.

"I'm fine," she assured her.

"You sure?" Brooke asked again.

"Yes, I'm sure. I have to go, Tigger. My kids are waiting for dinner," Haley sighed.

"Tutor Girl! Luke is at the park with Adam and Ethan and Kaitlin is sleeping, so who am I supposed to talk to?"

"I'm sorry, Brooke, but I really need to go. You know what? James, Lydia, Jackson, and I will come by your store tomorrow, okay?" Haley suggested. She heard Brooke sigh.

"Okay," Brooke pouted. Haley had to laugh. Sometimes she felt like she was talking to teenage Brooke instead.

"Bye, Tigger."

"Bye."

Haley hung up and turned around to see our kids staring at her. Jamie had an annoyed expression painted across his face, Lydia carried a blank expression, but Jackson had a huge smile plastered to his face.

"What?"

"I'm hungry," Jamie complained.

"I thought you were making us dinner," Lydia whined.

"Sorry, guys. Your Aunt Brooke likes to talk a lot."

"It's okay, momma," Jackson said.

Haley smiled. Jackson was probably the sweetest of the three. He was a curious little boy with bright blue eyes and light brown hair, unlike Lydia and Jamie who both had sandy blonde hair. From a young age, Jackson showed an interest in not only basketball like his father and brother, but singing and playing the piano like his mother and reading like his Uncle Lucas. Haley and Nathan were proud of who Jackson was. Jackson had an old soul like Peyton, but he was cheerful like Brooke. He was a combination of all Haley and Nathan's friends and they couldn't be more proud.

* * *

After Haley put Lydia and Jackson to bed, she went to see if Jamie was asleep. Instead, she found him on his computer. She furrowed her eyebrows and walked into his room.

"What are you doing, buddy?" she asked him. He looked up from the screen.

"Making Tree Hill," he told her. She sat down on the chair next to him to look on his screen and sure enough, he was making a version of Tree Hill on his computer.

"That's you, dad, Lydia, Jackson, and me," he said, pointing to a tall man with raven hair standing next to a petite blonde woman. A young boy with sandy blonde hair had his arm around both a girl with blonde hair and a boy with brown hair.

"That's nice," she commented. She smiled to see Nathan's arm around her shoulders. She felt her eyes start to water. She missed him so much. She watched as Jamie clicked on the house next to theirs.

"Uncle Lucas and Aunt Brooke live next door with Ethan, Adam, and Kaitlin." Haley nodded.

"Uncle Jake and Aunt Peyton live down the street with Jason and Jenny. Julian and Alex live next to Jake and Peyton. Mia and Chase live by Tree Hill High. And Aunt Quinn and Uncle Clay live next to my school."

"Who's that, sweetie?" she asked, pointing to a man who was lying in a hospital bed.

"That's Grandpa Dan. He's getting his new heart. Uncle Keith and Aunt Karen are visiting him. Because they all still love each other."

A silent tear rolled down Haley's cheek. Jamie had such a big heart He knew what Dan had done. He knew that Dan had pressured Nathan since he was born, he knew that Dan had turned Deb into a drug addict, and he knew that Dan almost killed Keith... yet Jamie still made Dan seem like a good person. She remembered when Jamie was five. Jamie had said that everyone deserved a friend, no matter what. Like Jackson, Jamie was a lot smarter than people his age and he had a huge heart. She and Nathan were so proud of both of them.

"Okay, Jamie. It's time to go to bed. Say goodnight to Tree Hill," she told the eight year old.

"Night, Tree Hill." Jamie turned his computer off and then climbed into bed.

"Can you tell me a story, mom?" Jamie asked.

"A story? You haven't wanted a story since you were six," she said, surprised.

"I want you to tell me a story about you and dad. Like a memory or something," he explained. Haley thought about it and then smiled.

"You know how I was pregnant with you while I was still in high school?" Jamie nodded.

"Well, I was the valedictorian when your dad, Uncle Lucas, Aunt Brooke, Uncle Jake, Aunt Peyton, and I were going to graduate. I was about nine months pregnant with you at the time. So, as the valedictorian, I had to give a speech to everyone at the graduation. In the middle of the graduation, it was time to give birth to you. I went into labor halfway through my speech. I was scared and so was your father-"

"What did he do, mom? Did he faint or something?" Jamie interrupted. Haley laughed and shook her head.

"No, buddy, he was just scared. He didn't show it, though. Wanted to be "Mr. Tough Guy" or something. Your father helped me when I was in so much pain. You were a real handful, bud," she teased, playfully pushing his arm.

"Anyway, when you were finally born, your father and I were so happy. You were our first child. Your father wanted a son and so did I. We wanted a little boy and we got one. And you, Jamie, have made us proud."

"And you asked Uncle Lucas and Aunt Brooke to be my godparents?"

"That's right. Your Aunt Brooke was so excited. I told her at our senior party. Practically cried in my arms out of joy and happiness," she laughed.

"Is Aunt Brooke your best friend, mom?" Jamie asked curiously. He was debating whether it was his Aunt Brooke, his Aunt Peyton, or his Uncle Lucas.

"Your Aunt Brooke and Uncle Lucas are probably my best friends. Uncle Lucas and I have known each other since we were kids, but your Aunt Brooke has been by my side through everything during high school."

"What about Aunt Peyton?" Jamie asked.

"She's a close friend, buddy. We're just not as close as Brooke and I are," Haley explained. Jamie yawned. She kissed his forehead.

"You should get some sleep, bud, okay? I love you," she said.

"I love you, too. Night, mom," he whispered, and then closed his eyes. Haley got up from his bed and turned off the lights, looking at her first-born son as he slept. She smiled.

* * *

Haley stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. After drying herself off, she quickly dressed herself and then looked down on the counter to see her pregnancy test lying face down. She remembered her conversation with Brooke and Peyton a couple of days ago.

_Flashback:_

_"What's wrong, Tutor Mom?" Brooke asked Haley. They were eating lunch with Peyton at Karen's café. Haley had ordered mac and cheese like always, but she hadn't touched much of her food._

_"What do you mean?" she asked innocently._

_"C'mon, Haley, you're never this quiet. What's going on?" Peyton asked._

_"Nothing, it's just that I haven't been feeling well lately," she admitted._

_"What do you mean?" Brooke asked._

_"I've been nauseous, I haven't had much of an appetite, I have headaches, and I'm late," Haley explained. Brooke and Peyton exchanged glances and then smiled at her._

_"Are you pregnant?"_

_"What?" Haley asked, surprised. She hadn't thought about that._

_"Are you pregnant?" Brooke asked again._

_"I-I don't know," Haley stuttered._

_ "Well, it sure sounds like it," Brooke said. "C'mon, Peyton and I will take you to the pharmacy and we can get you a pregnancy test."_

_"But, I can't be pregnant. I already have three children. What will Nathan say about it if I am pregnant?" Haley worried._

_"Haley, Nathan loves you and he loves the kids. I'm sure one more kid will be fine with him," Brooke assured her._

_"Okay," Haley sighed._

_End of Flashback_

Haley took a deep breath.

"One… two… three," she counted. She turned it over.

_Positive._

She was pregnant. She was pregnant with their fourth child. How was she supposed to tell Nathan? A single tear rolled down her cheek from the corner of her eye.

She got into bed and looked at Nathan's side of the bed. Empty. She grabbed her phone and dialed his number. She prayed that he would pick up. After four rings, it went to his voicemail.

_Hey, this is Nathan Scott. Sorry, I can't talk right now. Please leave a message and I get back to you as soon as possible._

Haley sighed. Why wasn't Nathan picking up his phone? She needed him and she missed him like crazy. She loved him and she hoped he came home soon. She needed her Nathan and he wasn't here.


	2. Back In My Arms

_"I believe in true love. I believe in love at first sight. I believe love conquers all. And that doesn't mean there's not gonna be hard days or difficult things to deal with, because there will be. But finding that person who does it for you and knowing that person loves you back. It just makes everything so much easier."  
-Haley James Scott_

**Chapter 2: Back In My Arms**

Haley woke up to a loud crash coming from downstairs. Barely able to keep her eyes open, she threw off the heavy blankets off her body and rushed downstairs to the kitchen. There, she found Jamie pouring cereal into a bowl and Jackson putting the silverware and placemats on the table. They looked up at her with their blue, wide eyes.

"What was that noise?" Haley asked tiredly. Jamie scratched the back of his head and looked at Jackson. Jackson grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, momma. We wanted to make you breakfast," Jackson explained. Haley laughed.

"You could've just woken me up, kiddo." She picked up the metal pot that was lying on the ground near the stove. She assumed that was the crash she heard from her bedroom.

"You looked peaceful sleeping. We didn't want to wake you up," Jamie said, pouring himself and Jackson some orange juice.

"I appreciate it guys, but next time, you can just wake me up. I'm fine," she assured them. They were always thinking about her. They were always going out of their way to be there for her, just like Nathan, who still hadn't called her yet.

"But you've been sick for the past couple of days, momma. We don't want you to feel worse," Jackson said. Haley sighed.

"About that, guys. I want to talk to you about something. Where's your sister?" she asked, wondering where Lydia was at. Jackson shrugged.

"She's probably still sleeping."

"Lazy," Jamie muttered to himself.

"What was that?" Haley asked her son suspiciously.

"Nothing," Jamie smiled. Haley laughed and shook her head. Her kids made her laugh everyday. She didn't know what she would do without them. Well, them and Nathan, who still hadn't called her yet. It had been two days and no call.

"Jamie, can you wake up your sister? I need to talk to you guys," Haley said.

"Sure." Jamie raced up the stairs. Haley could hear Jamie yelling at Lydia to wake up and the faint yell back.

"We're going to Aunt Brooke's store today, okay Jack?" she told Jackson, who was the only one left in the kitchen. Jackson's eyes lit up. He loved hanging out with Brooke and Lucas. He enjoyed playing basketball with Lucas and talking about Haley's high school days with Brooke. It was just a bonus that he was friends with Ethan and Adam.

"Okay, momma," he said brightly. Jamie came running down the stairs with Lydia trudging behind him. She wiped her tired eyes with her fist and she yawned loudly.

"Morning, Lydia," Haley greeted.

"Morning," Lydia mumbled.

"You tired?"

"Yeah," she yawned again. Haley just smiled. Lydia Scott was definitely not a morning person.

"So you wanted to talk to us?" Jamie asked after a minute of silence had gone by.

"Yeah. Why don't you guys sit down?" Her palms were sweating and her stomach was churning. She didn't know why she felt like this. She had this talk to Jamie when Lydia was coming and this talk with Lydia and Jamie when Jackson was coming. Both times had gone well. There was nothing to be afraid of.

"Okay, I want to talk to you about something, but you have to promise not to tell your father. It's a secret for now," she explained.

"We won't tell," they promised. Haley nodded.

"So, I just found out yesterday that... you're gonna have a baby brother or sister," she revealed. Their eyes grew wide. The room was silent and Haley didn't like it. She didn't say anything; she just watched them stare at her like she was crazy. Jamie was the first to break the silence.

"Yes! I'm gonna have another sibling! I want another brother!" he yelled.

"Yeah! I want another brother!" Jackson agreed.

"I want a sister. I'm the only girl here," Lydia said softly.

"Well, we have to wait until I'm five months pregnant to find out what gender it is," she told them.

"Mom, where do babies come from?" Jamie asked. Haley froze. She didn't expect to hear that question any time soon from her eight-year-old son.

"Um, well... you see..."

* * *

"I told Jamie that Chester was falling in love," Haley told Brooke. They were currently at 'Clothes Over Bro's,' Brooke's clothing store. Haley and Brooke's kids were at the park with Lucas, Junk, Fergie, Mouth, and Skills. Kaitlin was with Karen at the cafe.

"Awesome," Brooke teased.

"No, it's not awesome. My baby boy is asking me about sex!" Haley exclaimed.

"Tutor Girl, you've known for a long time that Jamie isn't a baby anymore."

"He'll always be my baby," Haley smiled.

"Cheesy!" Brooke sang. Haley punched her arm.

"Hey!" Brooke yelped, rubbing her arm. "Tutor Girl, you've got to calm down," she joked. That earned her another punch.

"Haley, you've got two other 'babies' that you can worry about," Brooke assured her. Haley smiled.

"Three actually," she said, rubbing her stomach. Brooke widened her eyes and realization hit her.

"You're pregnant?!" she asked.

"Yeah, I found out last night," Haley told her.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, this is amazing!" Brooke shrieked. "You and Nate are having your fourth child!"

"Calm down, Tigger. I haven't even told Nathan yet," Haley sighed.

"When are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know. He hasn't been answering his phone for the past few days. What do you think is up?" Haley asked, worried. It wasn't like Nathan to not call her for so long. She missed those long conversations they had over the phone every night before she went to bed. She missed hearing his voice, telling her to go to bed. She missed him assuring that he'd be home before she knew it. She just missed him way too much.

Brooke shrugged. "I don't know, Hales."

"I just wish he would come home already."

"I know, Haley. I know."

* * *

"Guys! Dinner!" she called out to her kids that night. She heard footsteps from upstairs and soon enough, all three were down.

"What's for dinner?" Jackson asked.

"Prime rib."

"Like Daddy?" Lydia asked.

"Like Daddy," Haley said.

"Is he ever coming home, Momma?" Jackson asked. Haley looked up at her son. His blue eyes were brimming with water and he stuck his bottom lip out. She reached out and put her hand over his.

"Of course he is, baby. You know that," she assured him.

"He hasn't called us," Jackson pointed out. Haley sighed. So she wasn't the only one who noticed.

"I know, sweetie. He's just busy. He'll call us when he has time. But he loves you. You know that, right?" Jackson looked down.

"You love me." Haley felt her heart break at his words. He was right- Nathan hadn't called in a while and she was getting sick of it. Her kids were doubting his love for her and for them.

"He loves you, okay?" Haley stated firmly, looking into his eyes again. Jackson sighed and nodded.

The rest of the dinner was quiet. A silence filled the thick air. Haley sat there thinking about Nathan while her kids finished their dinner. Why hadn't he called? Had his phone died? Was his schedule just way to busy to give his wife a quick call? Was he out partying with tons of girls practically drooling on him? She missed him, but it didn't seem like he missed her. Sure, he had called all last week, but why had the calls stopped? She loved him with all his heart. Did he stop loving her? She didn't want to think that. She shook her head to get that though out of her mind. What was he going to say when she told him that she was pregnant? If he didn't miss him while he was on his trip, would he want another baby with her? What if he had found another girl who was prettier, sexier, and younger? What if when he finally came home, he requested a divorce? Would he take their children away from he? _'These thoughts are ridiculous. Nathan would never cheat on me. He's better than that. He would never do something like that to me. He loves me.' _she told herself.

"Are you okay, Momma?" a voice asked her, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay? You look sad," Jackson said. She looked at her four year old and shook her head.

"I'm not sad, baby. I'm fine. Just miss you daddy," she explained. She was tired of saying that. She wouldn't miss him if he came home.

"Can we watch a movie?" Lydia asked. Haley smiled. That would get her thoughts off Nathan for a while.

"Sure."

* * *

_3 days later..._

"He still hasn't called, guys." Haley was sitting at Karen's Cafe with Brooke and Peyton. Lucas, Jake, and Keith had taken the kids out to the playground.

"He's going to call. He loves you," Brooke reassured her.

"I know he does, Brooke. That's not what I'm worried about." Well, maybe she _was _worried about that before, but not anymore. She didn't doubt Nathan's love for her. How could she? She knew he loved her. She just missed him all too much.

"I just want to know if he's okay. I mean, there has to be a reason why he's not calling, right?" Haley asked them.

"Of course," Brooke said, nodding. Peyton stared at them and them sighed, turning her head to Haley.

"Look, Haley. I know Nathan has a good reason for not calling you. This isn't him. Not calling you for almost a week? That's now him. I know it. I know he used to be an ass, but that was only when he and I were dating. I don't know if you know this, but Nathan changed for you, Haley. He's not that guy anymore that sleeps with girls twenty-four-seven. He's a good guy, Haley. I hope you don't think he's cheating on you or something, because I can guarantee that he's not doing that, okay?" she said.

"I know he's not cheating, Peyton. I just wish he was here."

"We all do, Hales," Brooke said.

Haley sighed and nodded.

"What can I get you girls?" Karen asked them. They looked up.

"How about one Nathan?" Peyton joked.

"He's still not back yet?" Karen asked, surprised.

"No."

"I thought he'd be back by now. What'd you say when you called him, Haley?" Karen asked. With wide eyes, Peyton shushed her and Brooke jerked her head towards Haley, putting a finger near her lips to silence Karen.

"He hasn't called for almost a week," Haley muttered, playing with the salt shaker. Karen sat down next to Haley on the booth.

"Are you okay, Haley-Bop?" Karen asked, using Haley's childhood nickname that she used to call her when she and Lucas were kids.

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes." Haley was stubborn. She didn't like admitting her feelings. Karen sighed.

"Okay, I have to get back to serving, but if you need anything, Haley, just tell me." Haley nodded. She looked at the clock and sighed. It was already six o'clock. Lucas, Jake, and Keith were probably tired by now. Jackson, Jamie, Ethan, Jason, and Adam combined were a huge ball of energy. Lydia, Jenny, and Kaitlin were better- they mostly sat on the swings the whole time.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Tutor Girl. You don't need to get them. Lucas and I are taking your kids in tonight," Brooke told her.

"When did you agree on that?" Haley asked, confused.

"Last night."

"You're going to take care of six kids?" Haley asked, disbelievingly.

"P. Sawyer and Jake can come over and help," Brooke shrugged.

"Brooke, I'm fine. I can take my kids," Haley tried. Brooke just shook her head.

"You've been working way too hard over these past few weeks. All you need is a little break," Brooke said.

"Brooke-"

Brooke held up her hand. "Nope. It's final. Your kids are sleeping over and _you _are going to relax. Got it?"

Haley sighed and nodded.

"Good. Now get your sexy ass home and go relax. You'll get your kids back tomorrow," Brooke laughed. Peyton ushered her out the door.

Haley laughed and shook her head. Her friends were crazy.

* * *

Haley opened the house door to see all the lights off. That was weird. She could've sworn she left at least one light on. She walked in a little further to see a small light coming from the kitchen. She shrugged. She probably just left one of the kitchen lights on. She walked towards the kitchen to find a trail of rose petals on the ground. She furrowed her eyebrows. Was this Brooke's plan? It had to be Brooke's.

"Brooke? I know you're in there. This is your idea of relaxation?" she called out. No one responded. She walked into a kitchen to see a table set for two. On the table there were three candles, two plates covered with lids and a vase with a single white rose.

"Oh my-" she was interrupted by two strong arms wrapping around her waist.

"I missed you, sexy," a voice said huskily.

"Nathan?" The arms released her and she turned around.

"Nathan," she breathed out. He smiled.

"Hey, baby," he greeted her.

"Oh my gosh, you're back!" she squealed, jumping into his arms. She pulled him in for a fierce kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer to him by her waist. Nathan traced her bottom lip with his tongue. She quickly granted his access. She was so happy he was finally back. Finally, breathless, they pulled away.

"I can't believe it. You're back. Are you okay?" she asked, running her hands up and down his arms.

"I am now," he smiled. "I made you dinner."

"I can see that." He pulled the chair out and she sat down. He took the lid off the plate to reveal the mac and cheese he spent hours trying to perfect.

"Your house special," he said.

"Mac and cheese! The food of the Gods," she smiled.

"And for dessert..." he pulled off the other lid to reveal a cracker jack box.

"What do you have planned, Nathan Scott?"

"It's okay to have dessert first," he told her. She grabbed the box from the plate and ripped it open. She opened the prize package to find a diamond bracelet in it.

"Nathan, honey, it's beautiful."

"You're beautiful, this will just be a nice accessory." He slipped it on Haley's wrist. She kissed him again and then he sat down.

"You missed me?" he asked.

"More than you can imagine," she told him.

"So I can say that my sexy girl had fantasies of me?" he smirked.

"What?" She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. "When did I say that?"

"Never. But you've got a sexy husband. Why wouldn't you have fantasies about me?" he joked.

"Nathan!" she giggled, pushing her chest. He laughed.

"I'm kidding, baby."

"I know."

"So anything new about the kids?"

"No, not really. Jamie has a spelling bee next week... which reminds me. Did you tell our kid I was a nerd?" I joked.

"Always. I'm not gonna lie to the kid, Hales," he chuckled. She laughed and shook her head. She remembered the question that had been buzzing through her mind for the past week.

"Why didn't you call me all week?" she asked curiously. She had to know. He just smiled.

"I had to prepare for all of this. I wanted to make my return special, so I called up Brooke to help and-"

"Wait, Brooke knew about this?" she interrupted him, surprised. So when she was practically crying in Brooke's arms about Nathan not calling, Brooke had known all along?

"Don't be mad a Brooke. I made her promise not to tell," he said. "I'm sorry for not calling, baby. I just knew that if I called and heard your voice, I would melt and confess. I wanted this to be a surprise, Hales. You're okay, right?"

"I'm fine. But there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Sure." He took a bite from his food and looked back up at her. "What is it?"

"I was going to tell you this over the phone, but I figured it was too important to just tell you on the phone. I, uh, I wasn't feeling well about a week ago and-" Nathan interrupted her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes filled with worry and concern.

"Yes. Well, I am now." She bit down on her bottom lip. Nathan knew she always did this when she was nervous.

"What is it, Hales?"

"I'm pregnant," she breathed out. Nathan widened her eyes out of surprise.

"You're pregnant?" She nodded.

"Are you sure?"

"I found out last week."

"Last week? You've known for a week and you didn't tell me?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, you weren't answering you phone and I wanted to tell you in person," she said.

"We're pregnant..." Silence filled the thick air. Nathan sat there thinking. He and the love of his life were going to have their fourth child. He and Haley were going to have another baby that he would love and care for with all his heart. How could he not be happy?

"Say something, Nathan," Haley pleaded him. His face stretched into a smile.

"We're having a baby!" he laughed, spinning her in his arms.

"We are baby, we are!" she giggled back. She felt a wave of relief wash over her. She was so glad he was happy. She had been dreading this all week.

"How far along are you?" he asked, placing a hand on her flat stomach.

"About a month. From the night before you left," she told him. He nodded.

"We're really having another baby," he breathed out, smiling at his wife. "We gotta tell Luke, Peyton, Brooke, and Jake."

"Brooke already knows."

"You told her?" he asked. He wasn't mad. He was just wondering why his wife told Brooke, but not the rest of them.

"Yeah. She had already suspected that I was pregnant anyway. By the way, you need to give Jamie the 'sex talk.'"

"What?" Nathan was surprised. Jamie was only eight. How could he be talking about this now?

"Yeah, I told the kids that they were going to have a brother or a sister, and Jamie asked me where babies came from," Haley explained.

"What'd you tell him?" he laughed. Haley buried her face in her hands and laughed.

"I told him something about Chester falling in love." Nathan laughed.

"Alright, I'll talk to him."

"Thank you."

"Sure. C'mon, let's call Luke, Peyton, and Jake up. I wanna tell them we're pregnant," Nathan said excitedly, standing up from his chair.

"Okay, okay, relax, we'll call them," Haley laughed. She took out her cellphone and dialed Lucas and Brooke's home number.

_"Hello?" _A small voice answered the phone.

"Ethan?" Haley said, recognizing the voice.

_"Who are you? Are you a stranger? Momma said not to talk to strangers," _he said.

Haley laughed. "It's Aunt Haley and Uncle Nate, Ethan. Can you put your daddy on the phone?"

_"Oh, hi Aunt Haley! Sure, I'll get my daddy," _he said. Haley and Nathan could hear soft footsteps getting fainter and then louder footsteps coming towards the phone. Lucas picked it up.

_"Hello?"_

"Hey, Luke," Haley greeted him.

_"Hey, Hales. What did you need?"_

"I just want to let you, Jake, and Peyton know that... I'm pregnant. Natan and I are pregnant," Haley shared the news.

_"Really?"_

"Yeah!"

_"Hales, that's great. Congratulations. You too, Nate. Oh, and welcome back."_

"Thanks, man," Nathan smiled. They both then heard a loud crash in the background followed by an ear pitching scream and Brooke Davis yelling.

_"Sorry guys, but I gotta go. My wife needs me. By the way, your kids are crazy," _he said, and then hung up the phone.

"What was that?" Nathan asked.

"I don't know. Whatever. Let's just enjoy this night together. Alone," Haley said seductively.

"Is my sexy girl saying what I think she's saying?" Nathan smirked.

"You betcha, babe," she smiled, kinking her eyebrow. Nathan wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her forehead. He laughed.

"I missed you so much," he told her again.

"So did I. When's your next travel?" she asked.

"I don't know. A while from now, probably."

"Good. Because I need you here," she said, snuggling into his chest.

"I love you, Haley," he said.

"I love you, too, Nathan Scott."

"Always and forever?"

"Always and forever," she promised. He kissed her forehead again and she leaned into him, enjoying this moment with her husband.


	3. Tree Hill Reunion

**_AN: Hey guys. Thanks for the amazing reviews. I loved reading each and everyone of them. This chapter is merely about a Tree Hill reunion, like the chapter title states, but it is also about Nathan and Haley's unborn baby. There are many flashbacks throughout this chapter. Enjoy!_**

_"I was reminded today in a roundabout way that the most perfect act of love is sacrifice."_

_-Peyton Sawyer_

**Chapter 3: Tree Hill Reunion**

_One Month Later..._

The bright sun shone through the windows of Nathan and Haley's bedroom. Nathan opened his eyes and squinted. He glanced at the clock. It was already eight fifteen on a Saturday morning. He rolled onto his side and closed his eyes again, hoping to get a couple more minutes of sleep. His kids were probably still asleep anyway. However, he was awoken again by the sound of Haley groaning on her side of the bed. His eyes shot open and turned around to see if she was okay. She was fine. He sighed a breath in relief. He was always worried about her now. He could remember how worried he was about Haley when she was pregnant with Jamie. Her fourth pregnancy now and he was still worried about her.

_Flashback:_

_Nathan walked into the living room of his and Haley's apartment to see her reaching for something in the closet. He quickly rushed over to her and pulled her waist._

_"Hey, c'mon." He pulled her off the stool she had been standing on._

_"Oh hey, I'm-I'm getting that!" she laughed._

_"You shouldn't be straining yourself. You can't risk falling and stuff." Haley laughed again. Nathan reached up and grabbed the plastic box she needed._

_"Relax, I'm pregnant, not elderly... oh wait, I'm glad you're up."_

_"Are you kidding me? Semi final's tonight- I could barely sleep," he told her, grabbing the other box._

_"I wanna go to Duke with you," she revealed._

_"What?" he smiled._

_"I got my acceptance letter from Duke, and um, it just made me think about what I want and what I want is to make you happy more than anything else in the world, so I wanna go to Duke with you!" she squealed, jumping up and down._

_"Aw, Haley!" he laughed. How was he so lucky to have a wife that sacrificed her dream for his?_

_"You've been so supportive of me and my dream for music, and I just wanna be supportive of you and your dream for playing at Duke, so I wanna do this for us, okay?"_

_"How did I get so lucky?" he asked both her and himself. He was serious. Haley was everything he ever dreamed of- smart, kind, beautiful, and talented. She was everything._

_"It helps that you're hot," she laughed. He laughed as well._

_"Well, thank you. You'll be so happy there. Well, I gotta go because I'm meeting Skills and Lucas for an early morning workout...what's all this stuff for anyway?" referencing to the boxes filled with toys and baby supplies._

_"Babysitting!" Haley smiled. "I thought the extra experience and money couldn't hurt. Besides, I just really don't wanna be one of those moms that's like completely overwhelmed and unprepared and screaming at her kids the way my mom used to be. Ugh. It was crazy. Anyway, the kids are coming by after school and uh, you know what, you should stop by and say hi," she suggested._

_"Nah, I'll pass," he declined the offer. "I don't really like kids."_

_Haley suppressed a laugh. Nathan stopped himself after he realized what he said._

_"I'll like our kid," he assured her._

_"Yeah, get out of here," she laughed, throwing a doll at him. He laughed and left the apartment._

_End of Flashback_

Nathan looked at his wife to see her still sleeping on her side. One hand was on her stomach while the other was laying on his arm. He smiled and moved closer to her. He kissed her forehead. He loved her so much and would do anything to protect her.

_Flashback_

_Nathan walked into his and Haley's apartment to find her crying on the floor. A stack of CD's were on the table next to her. What was wrong? He felt his heart break at the sight of his wife who looked upset._

_"Haley, what's wrong?" He closed the door behind him._

_"Um," she sniffed. "I was just alphabetizing our CD's and we don't have any doubles. Not one." He looked on the table to see her wedding band lying on a CD case._

_"So what?" he asked her._

_"So? Natalie Merchant after Nas and Wilco before the Wu Tang Clan?"_

_"So you listen to crummy music." He shrugged. "I can live with that."_

_"We made a mistake, Nathan," Haley sighed._

_"Haley-"_

_"No," she said, getting up, gathering her CD's. "I'm not ready for this. I just- I just really wanna go home to my room. No, I'm not a wife. I'm not even a senior!" she cried._

_"Haley, Haley, listen, this is not a mistake-"_

_"How can you be sure? Because there is nobody that thinks this thing can work," she pointed out._

_"I do," he said. He picked her ring up as she sniffed._

_"I promise you, Haley. I will always be there for you. I will always protect you," he promised her. She sniffed and nodded._

_"I will always protect you," he promised her again. "Always." He slid the wedding band on her finger again to where it belonged._

_End of Flashback_

Then there were those times where he had to protect both himself and her. But he knew that he would risk his life to save hers any day.

_Flashback:_

_The doorknob jingled. Everyone turned to look at it. They were stuck in the tutoring center after a lock down was needed because there was a shooter on campus. Marcus stood up and looked at the door. The doorknob jingled again and then a license slid underneath the door. It was Nathan's. Haley looked at the card and gasped._

_"It's Nathan," she exclaimed. Marcus rushed over to her to stop her._

_"No way. You don't know it's him," he said._

_"No, it's his driver's license," she told him._

_"So how do you know that somebody didn't kill him and take his I.D.?" he argued back. "Okay? You're the one that said this was a lockdown- every man for himself."_

_"She can't leave him out there," a redheaded girl said._

_"Don't open it," Abby Brown begged._

_"Do not open that door," Marcus demanded._

_"Shut up, shut up. Let me just..." She put her head to the door. "Always," she whispered, hoping to hear Nathan's voice._

_"And forever," he completed. She released the breath she didn't know she was holding._

_"It's him," she told Marcus, grabbing the doorknob._

_"No way. Get away from the door-" Skills grabbed Marcus's shirt and pushed him against the wall._

_"If she says it's him, it's him. Open the door," Skills said, while Marcus fought his hard grip on his shirt. Haley looked at them before opening the door. Sure enough, it was Nathan and Mouth._

_"Oh, thank god you're in here," he sighed. Mouth closed the door behind them. "Are you okay?"_

_"Yeah, what's going on out there?"_

_"I don't know. We're getting out of here, okay? All of us. Let's go," he said, walking toward the door._

_"Don't," a voice stopped them. They all turned to see Mouth's old friend, Jimmy Edwards, holding a gun towards them. Haley held onto Nathan._

_"Nobody's going anywhere…"_

_End of Flashback_

She had always been worried about his safety as well. He'd come to protect her, but she'd be scared that he was risking his own safety for his own. But he'd always assured her that he wouldn't be safe without her.

_Flashback_

_They'd been held hostage in the tutoring center for an hour. Jimmy was looking at the window to see if any cops were coming while Nathan and Haley were sitting at a table together._

_"You shouldn't have come back for me," she whispered to him. He looked at her incredulously._

_"I love you for doing it, but I wish you were safe," she said._

_"I don't wanna be safe without you."_

_End of Flashback_

Because in the end, he was always a wreck and a huge mess when she got hurt. He couldn't stand it when the rest of the world hurt her. She was such an good person with a big heart, but she was always getting hurt. She was always saving him.

_Flashback_

_"So the doctor said you're fine? You and the baby?" he asked her, making sure she and the baby were okay. He had been so worried when he didn't see her at the first half of his basketball game. But once he saw her and she told him they were having a son, he began playing well again, for her and their baby boy._

_"Yeah. We're fine. We're all gonna be fine," she reassured him._

_They walked onto the empty street as he twirled her around. She sighed happily._

_"Listen," he said, pulling her closer to him. "There's a reason why I played so badly tonight at first."_

_"What do you mean?" she asked, confused. It was then that she heard the sound of a car screeching. She turned around to see a black car headed straight for her and Nathan._

_"Nathan, look out!" she screamed. She pushed him out of the way, but she got hit. She slid to the hood of the car and then fell off of it, bleeding heavily, loosing consciousness._

_"Haley!" he screamed in shock and desperation. His wife just got hit. She had saved him this time._

_"Haley!" he yelled, running over to her. "Haley!" He kneeled down in front of her. "Haley!" he yelled again. "Haley! Oh god." Lucas came running out._

_"Nathan! What happened?" he screamed, clearly out of breath._

_"They just hit her man!" he explained angrily._

_"I'll call 911," Lucas said, pulling out his cellphone. Nathan looked to see the car that had hit her just a down the road._

_"Lucas, stay with her," he commanded him, taking off towards the car. He ran down the street to the car and ripped the door open. He pulled Daunte out and pushed him onto the ground._

_"Oh god. What did you do?!" he yelled, repeatedly punching him with all his strength and energy. He kept punching him until he felt a strong hand grab his. His hand and Daunte's face and body were now all bloody._

_"Nathan!" Dan yelled. Nathan looked at his father. What was he doing here? Dan pushed him to the side and checked for Daunte's heartbeat or pulse. He found nothing._

_"He's dead," Dan said. "You killed him, son." Dan looked into the distance and heard police sirens coming their way._

_"Go on," Dan said to his son._

_"Dad-"_

_"Haley needs you Nathan! Your child needs you. Go!" Dan yelled. Nathan finally got up and ran to Haley and Lucas. Haley was still lying on the ground, bleeding. What had he done? What did that monster do to his wife?_

_End of Flashback_

And of course, he had always prayed for her to wake up. She was always in his prayers. She was an angel from above, and for some reason, she loved him- the man who always made mistakes. And he loved her back, so, so much.

_Flashback:_

_He was crying in the church alone. He was crying for Haley. He was crying for their unborn son. And he was crying for what he had caused Daunte to do to his wife. Why did this have to happen to Haley? She had saved him so many times, and she did it again. But she was always getting hurt for being a good person. It just didn't make sense. He didn't understand._

_"I know I did a horrible thing, okay?" he said, talking to himself and the angels up above. "But I deserve to be punished for that, not Haley. She's a good person and she'd be a great mother if…" he trailed off. He let out a ragged sigh and sniffed._

_"Look, I know it must suck how people are always asking for things and never giving anything back. And I know that Keith at that bridge. But Haley saved me long before the accident. There has to be a miracle left for her, please. Please," he pleaded. "Don't take her from me. "Don't take our child from her."_

_"It's okay, Nathan," Keith said from behind him. "Just breathe. It's gonna be okay."_

_The door opened and Peyton walked in._

_"Nathan," she said. He looked at her and she shared the good news._

_Nathan opened the door to Haley's hospital room and walked in. He sniffed at the sight of his wife looking bruised, battered, broken, and bloody._

_"Hi," she croaked, her voice hoarse._

_"Hi," he said, smiling for the first time since she got hit. He bent down and kissed her forehead twice. He then hugged her and she put one arm on his back to hug him back._

_End of Flashback_

Nathan's thoughts were interrupted as he heard Haley sigh. He looked over at her to see her beautiful brown eyes open. She was looking at him and smiling.

"Morning beautiful," he greeted her, smiling back.

"Morning," she sighed happily.

"You know what today is?" he asked. He'd been counting down the days for this special event.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"Tree Hill reunion," he grinned. She widened her eyes.

"Oh, shit. Damn it, I totally forgot that was today. I need to get ready." She was already out of their bedroom. "I call the bathroom!" she shouted, shutting the door. He chuckled. That was Haley.

Haley walked into the kitchen after she had showered, gotten dressed, and applied some light make up. Jamie and Lydia were sitting at the kitchen table eating scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes. There was a plate of toast in the center of the table next to a dish with butter. Nathan was looking in the fridge for orange juice holding two small glasses.

"What's all this?" she asked, surprised that Nathan had cooked so much. He was still in his pajamas- gray plaid bottoms and a gray t-shirt. Yet, to her, he still looked sexy as hell.

"Breakfast for my beautiful wife." He looked down at his children. "And amazing children."

"Where's my little boy?" she asked, looking around for Jackson.

"Sleeping," Jamie said, taking a huge bite of eggs.

"No talking while you're eating, Jamie," she reminded him.

"Sorry," he grinned sheepishly and then went back to eating, a piece of bacon in his hand.

"I'll wake him up, Nathan," she told him, and then went upstairs and into her youngest son's room. Sure enough, he was sleeping, the sheets over his head and the comforter on the floor at the end of the bed.

"Hey, baby. It's time to wake up," she whispered, lightly shaking his arm. He fluttered his eyes open and gave her a crooked smile.

"But I'm tired, momma," he complained.

"C'mon buddy, you have to wake up," she said.

"But I'm gonna fall asleep," he whined, giving her an exaggerated yawn.

"We're going to my old high school today," she tried. His eyebrows shot up.

"Really?" he asked excitedly.

"Yeah, baby, we are. Your dad and I went to that high school with Peyton, Jake, Brooke, and Lucas. And you're gonna see all of my friends and your dad's friends. Now you awake?" she asked, smiling.

"You bet. Race you down momma!" he said, running out the door.

"You haven't even changed yet, buddy!" she laughed, walking out the door. Today was gonna be a good day. She was sure of it.

* * *

"Haley! C'mon, let's go! We don't want to be late!" Nathan called out to his wife. James, Jackson, and Lydia were already in the car watching Toy Story on their car DVD player.

"I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm sorry. I'm nervous. Why am I nervous?" she rambled on.

He chuckled. "You're always nervous." She laughed back.

"I know." The Scott family got into their car and drove off.

"You excited, buddy?" Nathan asked Jamie.

Jamie shrugged. "I guess."

"What do you mean 'I guess?' You're gonna meet all of your old man's friends," Nathan said.

"I know most of your friends, dad. I mean, sure, I'm excited to meet your other friends, but it's not new things to me, you know?" Jamie said.

Nathan nodded. "I get it, bud. What about you, baby girl? You excited?" he asked his only daughter.

"Yeah, daddy. I wanna meet all your old girlfriends. You know, before you dated momma," she said cheerfully, not knowing what the hell she was talking about. Haley turned around to look at Lydia.

"What did you just say?"

"I wanna meet daddy's old girlfriends," she said again.

"Lydia, the only serious girlfriend I had before your mom was your Aunt Peyton," Nathan told her. Jamie widened his eyes.

"You dated Aunt Peyton? Was Uncle Jake mad?"

Nathan laughed. "Nah. Peyton and I broke up before they started dating. And by the time Jake and Peyton started dating, your mom and I were pretty serious. Then we got married," Nathan said.

"Yeah, I know. You guys got married in high school. Pretty early, huh?" Jamie commented.

"You're never to early to fall in love. That's what your Grandpa Jimmy said to me and your father at our first wedding reception," Haley recalled, smiling at the memory of her, Nathan, and her father.

_Flashback_

_"Uh, I guess it's no surprise that someone criticized us and called us unfit parents," Jimmy James said into the microphone at Nathan and Haley's wedding reception._

_"And normally, they would be right," Lydia James joked. Everybody laughed._

_"And for those who say they're too young, let me just say. You can drive at sixteen, go to war at eighteen, you can drink at twenty one and retire at sixty five. So how old do you have to be before your love is real?" Jimmy asked. Nathan and Haley nodded in agreement._

_"So here's to you, Haley Bob. And Nathan- she's your headache now!" Lydia teased. Everyone laughed again._

_End of Flashback_

"Uncle Lucas is your best friend, right mom?" Jamie asked.

"Well yeah, and Aunt Brooke," she corrected him.

"What'd they say at your wedding reception?" he asked curiously.

"Your Aunt Brooke didn't talk at my first wedding reception. Uncle Lucas did, though."

_Flashback:_

_"I think everybody knows that Nathan and I got off to a pretty sketchy start. Nathan, mutual hatred sound about right?" he chuckled._

_"Worse," Nathan joked. Everyone laughed and Haley nudged him._

_"Yeah," Lucas chuckled. "You see, then a funny thing happened. Haley. You showed me that you can find the good in everybody if you just give them a chance. The benefit of the doubt." Haley's parents looked at her and smiled. They were so proud of the young, strong, kind, independent woman that she was turning into._

_"You know, sometimes, people disappoint you. Sometimes they surprise you. But you never really get to know them until you listen to what's in their hearts. And that's what Haley did with Nathan. That's what we should do for them. So for you skeptics out there, prepare to be surprised…. So this is to my… brother. And my little sis. In law," he corrected himself. Everyone laughed again. "And in love."_

_End of Flashback_

"You didn't like Uncle Lucas, daddy?" Jackson asked, pausing the movie. He was suddenly very intrigued with his parents' love story.

"We, uh," Nathan laughed. "We didn't like each other at first. We were basically competing in basketball. But then your mom taught me to like Uncle Lucas and he learned to like me back. And now we act just like brothers like we should be," Nathan explained.

"So Momma is the reason you're nice to Uncle Lucas?"

"Well, your mom is a great person and she made me realize that I never gave Lucas a chance. So, because of your mom, I learned to like Uncle Lucas. You're mom is an amazing person. Don't ever forget that," Nathan told his children and then looked over at Haley who blushed. She loved him so much.

"Did Uncle Lucas talk at your second wedding?" Jackson asked.

"He did," Haley nodded.

_Flashback:_

_Lucas tapped his glass with his fork to get everyone's attention at Nathan and Haley's second wedding reception. He was the best man and Brooke was the maid of honor. However, they were currently fighting about Peyton._

_"The last time I gave a speech about Nathan and Haley was, well, at the first reception," Lucas recalled. "I remember saying 'prepare to be surprised.' Well, I have to say, even I was surprised. Because, see they do something that's very rare to see in someone our age. Actually, actually, it's very rare to see in anybody. They give their hearts to each other unconditionally. And that's what true love really is. It's not this fairy tale life that never knows pain. But it's two souls facing it together and diminishing it with unconditional love. To Nathan and Haley Scott," Lucas finished._

_End of Flashback_

"You know, at that time, your Uncle Lucas and Aunt Brooke were in a huge fight?" Haley told him.

"Really?" Jackson asked. He'd never seen Brooke and Lucas fight. They were always so… 'cheery' together.

"Yes, they were, buddy."

"How come?"

Nathan and Haley exchanged glances. How were they supposed to say that it was because Lucas made a jackass move and kissed Peyton while he was still dating Brooke?

"Well… your dad kissed your Aunt Peyton when he was still with Brooke. And it wasn't very nice, buddy. You shouldn't kiss another person when you already love someone," Haley explained carefully, making sure not to say anything too revealing.

"Was Aunt Brooke upset?" Jackson asked.

"Yeah, she was. But she didn't show it. She still gave a great speech at our wedding."

_Flashback:_

_"I'm not the most eloquent speaker. So, I thought I would borrow a few words from Shakespeare. 'Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds. When life gets hard, when things change, true love remains the same.' I look at Nathan and Haley and somehow I feel safer. I don't know if I can explain that, but they give me hope. And I'm afraid to say it out loud because maybe if life finds out, it'll try to be it out of them and that would be a shame, because we could all use a little hope sometimes, you know? That feeling that everything is going to be okay. And that there's gonna be someone there to help make sure of that. So, here's to Nathan and Haley, here's to hope, and here's to a love that will not alter."_

_End of Flashback_

"We're here," Nathan announced as he pulled up to the Tree Hill High parking lot. There were several other cars parked to the right and left of theirs. Nathan and Haley got out of the car and then took James, Jackson, and Lydia out. They walked into the main high school building and entered the gym to see many people talking. They spotted Lucas, Brooke, Peyton, and Jake talking by the bleachers. They walked over to them.

"Hey guys," Haley greeted them. Jason was standing next to Jake while Jenny was in Peyton's arms. Ethan and Adam were next to Lucas while Brooke was carrying Kaitlin.

"Tutor Girl, Boy Toy. Glad you could make it!" Brooke exclaimed, giving them both a one-arm hug. They began talking until a couple of guys made their way over to them.

"Hey Haley," Mouth greeted her. She turned around and smiled.

"Mouth! Hey! How are you doing? I haven't seen you in a while!" Haley exclaimed, hugging him tightly. He was a very close friend to her and Brooke. She noticed a skinny brunette standing next to him, holding his arm tightly.

"Hi, I'm Haley James Scott, Mouth's friend," Haley introduced herself, shaking the woman's hand. The woman smiled.

"Millie Huxtable. I'm Mouth's girlfriend." Haley raised an eyebrow and looked at Mouth.

"Girlfriend, huh?" Haley teased. Mouth grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, I was gonna tell you, but you've been so busy…" Mouth reasoned. Haley shook her head.

"It's fine. It's nice to meet you, Millie. This is my friend Brooke Davis Scott and my other friend Peyton Sawyer Jagielski. These are their husbands Lucas Scott and Jake Jagielski, my other two friends. And this…" pointing who Nathan who was talking with Skills and Tim, "is my husband, Nathan Scott." Millie widened her eyes.

"The Nathan Scott? From the Charlotte Bobcats in the NBA, right?" Haley nodded proudly. "You're married to the Nathan Scott? That's amazing. How'd you meet?"

Haley smiled. "Tutored him in high school, we fell in love, married at the age of sixteen, had our son at eighteen, had our daughter at twenty, and had another son at twenty two," Haley summed it up.

Millie laughed. "You're one busy girl. All I've done is go to fashion school."

"You're into fashion?" Haley asked. Millie nodded. "Brooke owns a fashion store. You should talk to her. She _loves _talking about fashion." Millie nodded and walked over to Brooke, who immediately introduced herself.

"Hales. Look who I found," Lucas said, walking up to her. Next to him were Fergie, Junk, Chase, and Bevin.

"Oh my gosh, guys, hey!" she said to them. The last time she'd seen Fergie and Junk was at the Rivercourt after their graduation. She'd been in contact with Bevin and had spoken to Chase once or twice.

"Haley! Hi. You look great despite being a mom. Jamie, right?" Bevin remembered.

"Yeah. And two other ones- Jackson and Lydia," Haley told her. Bevin's eyes lit up.

"You have two other children?"

"Well, I'm pregnant, so four in total."

"That's so great, Haley. I'm happy for you," Bevin congratulated her friend.

"Thanks Bevin."

"I have a son, you know?" Bevin told her.

"Really?" Haley asked, surprised. Bevin Mirskey was a mom?

"Yeah. His name is Nathan. My husband named him. But you know, I really hated my husband, so we go divorced," Bevin explained, not looking at all upset.

Haley raised an eyebrow. She named her son after her husband? "You had a husband?" Bevin nodded. "Who?"

"Tim."

"Tim?"

"Yeah. We had a one night stand, I got pregnant, and then we got married. But it was kind of rushed and I never really liked him, so we got divorced."

"I'm sorry."

"Oh, no it's fine. I'm back together with Skills," Bevin said cheerfully.

"That's great."

It had been about thirty minutes later when Principal Turner walked up to the microphone and started talking to the former students.

"Attention everybody! Welcome to the eight year Tree Hill High reunion! That's right, it's been eight years since you all graduated from here and went your separate ways. Some of you probably kept in touch. And some of you… not so much. Now, I am going to say a couple of accomplishments that I think are amazing of our former students," Turner said.

"Lucas Scott- famous author of '_The Comet' _and '_And Unkindness of Ravens.'_" Lucas smiled and waved as everyone looked at him.

"Nathan Scott- famous NBA player, currently on the Charlotte Bobcats."

"Haley James Scott- world wide famous singer and songwriter, formerly touring with Chris Keller, Gavin DeGraw, and The Wreckers."

"Brooke Davis- Fashion designer and fashion company owner."

"Peyton Sawyer- Owner of Red Bedroom records, a successful recording studio."

"Rachel Gatina- Local television and talk show host."

"Marvin McFadden- Sports announcer and commentator."

"Chase Adams- Current owner of Tric, a local bar in Tree Hill, originally run by Deb Scott, Karen Roe, a former student, and Peyton Jagielski. Now those are just some of the amazing achievements that some of your fellow peers have made. Now, you can get back to talking. I will be here to talk to anybody to catch up or whatever. It's good to see you all!"

Principal Turner smiled and left the microphone to talk to a young woman who was holding a little boy with a dark haired man standing next to her, his arm wrapped around her waist.

"Hey, do you guys remember the whole cheerleading incident?" Brooke asked, laughing.

"Oh my gosh! I remember that. Peyton got drunk the night before, right?" Haley chuckled.

"Yeah," Peyton groaned. "Ugh, that was awful."

"I remember when Nathan and I got back together. Best moment of my life," Haley sighed.

"Best?" Nathan smirked.

"Well, next to our two weddings, James, Jackson, and Lydia's births, and our graduation," Haley corrected herself.

Nathan nodded. "Yeah, getting back together with you was probably one of the best moments ever."

_Flashback:_

_"Hi," Haley greeted Nathan as she walked into his room. He was sitting on his bed wearing a gray t-shirt and jeans. He looked over at her. She was only wearing a sweatshirt and jeans, yet, she still looked beautiful in his eyes._

_"Hey. Thanks for coming," he thanked her._

_"Yeah, thanks for calling me. What's wrong?" she asked her former husband._

_"Your song is great, Haley," he began. "Chris played it for me. It's uh, it's a long story, but uh, it's really great. I just wanted you to know that."_

_"Oh, okay," she said, surprised. Was that all he called her for?_

_"My mom left for good, I think," he told her as she walked closer to him. "Oh, and apparently my dad's the mayor now, so yeah, today's really sucked ass."_

_"Oh, Nathan, I'm so sorry," she comforted him._

_"You know, for most of my life, I would've gone through all of this alone. Then I met you and I finally found someone I could depend on when life got like this. So I guess I called you because I wanted to know if that was still there," he explained._

_"Nathan, you can always call me. Always and forever," she chuckled._

_"I wanna ask you something," she sighed. "Um, the night of the masquerade party- did we, did you kiss me?"_

_He looked at her for a minute. "Of course I did." And with that, he leaned in and kissed her tenderly. _

_"Oh, no you didn't," she said, realizing that it wasn't him who kissed her, but Chris. But Nathan's kiss was so much better than Chris's. His was filled with passion and love. Chris's was just filled with lust. "That kiss wasn't half as good as this one." He chuckled realizing what she meant._

_"I love you for lying to me," she said, holding his chin. "Thanks for calling," she said, kissing his cheek. She got up off his bed and headed for the door._

_"Haley," he called her._

_"Yeah?" she answered back._

_"Stay with me tonight," he said._

_"Oh, I was hoping you would say that," she smiled. He smiled back. She closed the door._

_End of Flashback_

"That's sweet," Brooke grinned. She was a sucker for love stories, especially between her two friends.

"Yeah, the night was pretty sweet," Nathan smirked, kinking an eyebrow. "If you know what I mean."

"Okay, ew. I did not need to hear that! I don't want to know about the sex life between my brother and my best friend. Ugh… gross," Lucas exclaimed. Everybody laughed. Brooke put her head on his shoulder and he sighed in content.

"Much better."

"Remember graduation?" Brooke laughed, breaking the silence. Haley's face stretched into a huge smile.

"Oh my gosh. Remember Bevin falling on stage after Turner gave her the diploma?" she laughed.

"Really buddy? You gave birth during our graduation and all you remember is Bevin falling on stage?" Lucas chuckled.

"I wasn't my fault. It was Jamie's!" she said, playfully blaming her eight year old son who was on the football field with Brooke and Lucas's kids and Jake and Peyton's kids.

"Right…" Peyton stretched out.

"Really, it was!" Haley defended herself.

_Flashback:_

_"And finally, this year's class valedictorian- Haley James Scott," Principal Turner said into the microphone and then began clapping. Haley got up from her seat on stage to get her diploma. She then went up to the podium and began to speak._

_"Distinguished guests, parents, and this year's graduating class. My best friend reminded me of a quote by William Shakespeare that seems appropriate. '__There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound up in sorrows and in miseries. On such a full sea, are we now afloat, and we must take the current when it serves or lose our ventures.' I think that what that quote means is that life is short and, opportunities are rare, and we have to be vigilant in protecting them. And, not only the opportunities to succeed but, the opportunity to laugh, to see the enchantment in the world, and… to live, because life doesn't owe us anything. As a matter of fact, I think we owe something to the world. And if we can just believe that…" she trailed off, laughing, realizing that she her water had broke and she was in labor. She laughed in to the microphone as everyone stared at her, wondering what was going on._

_"I'm sorry. I have more, I just think I'm having my baby," she said. Whitey, Brooke, Bevin, Mouth, Peyton, and Lucas all looked equally as surprised. Nathan stood up and looked at his wife. She smiled nervously back at him. This was happening. Their son was really going to be born._

_The next few hours had gone by in a blur. Everything was going by so quickly. Peyton, Brooke, Lucas, Skills, Mouth, Nathan, and Haley had left the graduation in a rush. They walked outside and Haley was pulled onto a stretcher, which went into the back of the ambulance. Nathan got in while the rest of them stayed behind._

_They rolled Haley's stretcher quickly down the clear hospital hallway. Haley's stretcher passed Karen's as Nathan and Lucas met in the middle. They were brothers now. They both knew how Dan was. They both found love. They both had the same problems. And now, they both had to watch their loved ones in pain. They walked up to each other and hugged. This was a family._

_"C'mon, Haley, just breathe," the doctor encouraged her in the hospital room. She took deep, shaky, painful breaths as Nathan sat right next to her through it all._

_"You're doing good, baby, you're doing so good," he soothed her. She took more deep breaths._

_"Ah!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. She was in so much pain. How could giving birth to a small baby be so painful? She put her hand on her head as if it would numb the pain. She heard a small cry fill the room and she put her hand over her mouth._

_"It's a boy," the doctor said, holding their son._

_"Oh, oh," Haley cried in joy. Nathan pushed her bangs back with his hand._

_"Just relax," he calmed her down._

_"You're a dad," she smiled._

_"You did so good." He kissed her hand. "You did so good," he said again, kissing her forehead. "We have a son. We have a son."_

_She laughed weakly. "I wanna see him."_

_The doctor handed them their crying son who was wrapped in a blue blanket._

_"Hi. Hi baby," she cried. Nathan put his hand on the baby's head as Haley held him._

_"Welcome to the world James Lucas Scott," she said, revealing his full name._

_"Look at that, that's your daddy," she told her son, showing him Nathan._

_"He's so beautiful," Nathan smiled._

_End of Flashback:_

"Oh man. You were a mess, Hales," Peyton laughed again. Haley hit her arm playfully.

"So when are you guys finding out if it's a boy or a girl?

"Well, I'm about three months pregnant now, so in about two months," she answered.

"That's great, Hales. I'm glad you and Nate are having another one," Brooke smiled. "You want it to be a girl?"

"Nah, I want another boy, actually," Haley told her.

"Really? What about Nate?"

"I don't know. It think he wants another girl," Haley shrugged. "You know, so Lydia can have a sister." Brooke nodded.

"Well, I'm happy for you, Hales."

"Thanks Tigger."

* * *

_Two months later…_

"Nathan! C'mon, we're gonna be late to the doctor's appointment!" Haley yelled, grabbing her purse from the staircase. They were going to the doctor's today to find out what the baby's sex was. Haley and Nathan had discussed it and they realized that they honestly didn't really care what the gender was. As long as it was healthy. She was five months pregnant and she was slightly showing.

"I'm coming, I'm sorry. I was checking with Brooke if it was okay if she watched the kids for an hour," Nathan said, running towards the front door wearing a blue button down shirt and denim jeans. They walked out the door hand and hand and got into the car.

"You excited, Hales?" Nathan asked his wife as he pulled out of the driveway.

"Yeah, I am. I just want our baby to be born so that our family will be complete, you know?" she said to him.

Nathan nodded. "Yeah, I know baby." The ride was short and they quickly arrived at the doctor's office.

"Name?" an older lady asked them as they walked up to the front desk.

"Nathan and Haley Scott," Nathan told her. The lady looked at the paper through her thick glasses and finally found their names.

"Okay, you can go to room twelve. The doctor will be there soon," the lady said, and then began talking to the man behind them.

Nathan and Haley walked to the room with their fingers intertwined. They reached the room and Haley lay down on the bed.

"Don't be nervous, baby," he said, kissing her forehead.

"I'm not nervous, I just… I just really want to know if the baby's fine and healthy. That's all I could ever want," she said.

"The baby will be healthy. We've already got three beautiful children. You've got nothing to worry about, Hales," he assured her. Soon, the doctor walked in. It was the same doctor that had helped deliver James, Jackson, and Lydia.

"Nathan, Haley, how are you guys doing?" he asked, writing something down on his clipboard.

"We're doing well," Nathan answered for the both of them.

"Excellent. Well, Haley, I gonna need you to pull up your shirt so we can do the ultrasound to make sure the baby's healthy. I'm gonna ask you a couple of questions first, though," he said as Haley pulled up her shirt halfway.

"Have you had any intercourse with alcohol or drugs?" he asked.

"No."

"Have you felt any kind of abnormal pains?"

"Nope."

"Are you still having morning sickness?"

"Not anymore."

"Good. Okay, last one. Are you both still sexually active?"

This time, Haley turned bright pink. "Yes," they answered at the same time. Haley buried her face in Nathan's chest as he chuckled.

"Okay, Haley. You know the drill. This is gonna be cold, but just hold on," the doctor told her. He put the gel on her stomach and looked at the monitor.

"Okay, so there's one of it's feet. And that's an arm over there. Have you decided whether you wanted to find out what the sex is yet?"

Haley and Nathan looked at each other before nodding. "Yes, we would like to know."

"Okay, well let me take a look. Oh, there it is. Well, it looks like you are having a healthy baby boy. Congratulations!" the doctor said, writing again on his clipboard.

"Oh my gosh, a boy. We're having a boy!" Haley cried into Nathan's chest.

"You're gonna have another son," she said. "Are you happy about this?"

"Yeah, I am. A boy. Another boy I can love just like my two other ones." He leaned in and kissed Haley softly. They were going to have another boy.

* * *

"Nathan, have you thought of names yet?" Haley asked her husband as she walked out of the bathroom in her pajamas.

"I wanted to talk about that with you. I have an idea, but I wanted to ask you first," Nathan said from their bed. He put the book he was reading on the side table as Haley got into their bed.

"What is it?"

"I wanted to name him Liam after my Great Uncle," Nathan explained. "What do you think?"

Haley smiled. "I love it. We just need a middle name."

"You can choose the middle name. I already chose the first one."

"Liam Robert Scott, after my brother," she told him after thinking for a minute.

Nathan smiled. "Liam Robert Scott," he repeated. He laughed.

"Well?" she asked.

"Nathan, Haley, James, Lydia, Jackson, and Liam. It's perfect," he whispered.

"Really?" she asked, her brown eyes shinning.

"Of course. And once Liam is born, our family is going to complete."

Haley smiled. "I love you, Nathan Scott."

"I love you, too. Always and forever, right?"

"Always and forever."


	4. Mistakes Are Made

_"Love means giving chances when there aren't any more to give."_

_-Haley James Scott_

**Chapter 4: Mistakes Are Made**

One Week Later…

"Tutor Mom, what ever happened to Chris Keller?" Brooke asked her friend. She, Haley, and Peyton were at Karen's café once again. The kids and their husbands were at the park. Mouth, Skills, Junk, and Fergie were also there with their girlfriends. Mouth was dating Millie, Skills was dating Bevin, Junk was dating Anna, and Fergie was dating Lauren.

Haley shrugged. "I don't know. After we graduated from high school, I never heard from him again. It's probably a good thing, though. Nathan was crazy jealous of him."

"Well, you did kiss him while you two were married, so I think he has the right to be jealous of the guy who could've stolen his wife," Brooke defended Nathan.

"I didn't kiss Chris. He kissed me. I didn't want to kiss him."

"I know. You know Chris. He's well, he's Chris Keller," Brooke chuckled.

_Flashback:_

_Haley knocked on the door. Chris looked up to see her._

_"Hey," she greeted him._

_"Hey," he greeted her back._

_"Sounds good," she complimented his music._

_"Thanks. It's getting there, you know?" he said as she sat down on the chair._

_"Uh, listen, I, uh, I hope you know how much I appreciate everything you've done for me."_

_"Yeah," Chris smiled._

_"Um, I, I don't really think we should work together anymore," Haley told him._

_Chris sighed. "So what got to you? Nathan."_

_"No, I just, I think it's for the best, you know?" she said._

_"Well, it's just as well," Chris said, putting his guitar down. "You know those labels from New York- they offered me a showcase. I think I'm gonna take it."_

_"Wow, that's great Chris," Haley congratulated him._

_"Yeah. I'm leaving tonight, so I won't be able to play the show at Tric anyway," he told her._

_"Oh."_

_"So, I guess this is goodbye," Chris sighed._

_Haley nodded. She walked up to Chris and pulled him in for a hug. "Thanks."_

_"Wait, Haley come here," Chris said before kissing Haley. Haley stood there for a couple of seconds in shock while he kissed her before breaking the kiss off._

_"What are you doing?" she asked him._

_"Haley-" he began._

_"Is that what's this all about? You just hitting on me?"_

_"Haley, it's okay," he assured her._

_"No, it's not okay. I can't, I can't believe you just did that-"_

_"I want you to take this," Chris said over her. "Come with me to New York."_

_"What?" she exclaimed, taking the ticket. "In case you missed something, I'm married."_

_"So you made a mistake. Are you gonna let that keep you from the rest of your life?"_

_"I did not make a mistake," Haley argued._

_"Haley, you owe it to your music. You owe it to yourself. Your dreams are a bus ride away. I know you want this, Haley," Chris said._

_"No, you're wrong, I don't. I'm not, I'm not even," Haley said, giving him back the ticket and walking out of the room._

_"It was always there between us, Haley," Chris called out to her as she turned around. "Whether you admit it or not."_

_End of Flashback_

"God, he is such an ass," Peyton commented.

"Brooke slept with him," Haley pointed out. Brooke elbowed Haley in the ribs.

"Hey! You know it's true. Lucas was mad, remember? Walked right in on you," Haley laughed.

"I know," Brooke sighed, covering her face with her hands. "It was so awful. I felt so bad. I just, I thought I didn't have a chance with him anymore after what I did, and I was upset, so I just had to sleep with someone and Chris was the first person I saw," Brooke explained.

"At least he forgave you," Peyton said.

"Yeah. He did."

_Flashback:_

_Lucas opened his door to find Brooke holding a large box. He looked at her, confused._

_"There are eighty-two letters in here. And they're all addressed to you. I wrote them all this summer. One a day, but I never sent them because I was afraid," Brooke cried._

_"Brooke-" Lucas began._

_"I was afraid of getting my heart broken again. Like before. Because you hurt me so bad and I was afraid to be vulnerable and I was afraid of you and the way that you make me feel. And I know that doesn't matter now after what I did, but I just thought that you should know. This is how I spent my summer, Luke. Wanting you. I was just too scared to admit it," she finished and then left his porch. Lucas sighed, put the box down, and then ran after her._

_"Brooke!" he called out. She turned around to look at him._

_"I'm sorry. What you did with Chris- it's okay," he said._

_"It's not. It can't be. It's too much to forgive," she cried._

_"Well that's too bad because I forgive you," he forgave her._

_"You can't."_

_"I just did. So you're gonna just have to deal with that," he teased. "I'm the guy for you, Brooke Davis. And I know I hurt you the last time we were together but-"_

_"I love you," she interrupted him. He stood there in shock. Brooke Davis loved him?_

_"I love you, too," he promised her. He reached out to caress her face. "Pretty girl."_

_He leaned in and kissed her. She kissed back and they stood there under the stars right outside his house, in love._

_End of Flashback_

"Damn girl, you're lucky," Haley smirked, kicking her leg under the table.

"Yeah. Until Peyton here kissed him," she said, starring at her friend. Peyton blushed and put her hands up in surrender.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I thought I was gonna die and he was there and I just couldn't contain my feelings for him," Peyton defended herself.

"Yeah, well then we broke up, remember?" Brooke recalled.

_Flashback:_

_Brooke opened Lucas's door to find him on his computer and Peyton sitting on his bed._

_"Hey," he greeted his girlfriend. "We were just…" he said, referring to Peyton's presence._

_"I'd like to talk to my boyfriend," she cut him off. "Alone." Peyton smiled and got off his bed. "Nice job not hitting on him," she told Peyton who was walking towards the door._

_"Luke, I'll get those CD's later. Thanks for the sex," she joked. Brooke looked at her in disbelief. Did she really just say that?_

_Peyton laughed and left._

_"She's joking," Lucas corrected Peyton._

_Brooke shut Lucas's door. "I was trying to call you," Lucas said, getting up._

_"You mean when you were hanging out with Peyton," Brooke calmly said._

_"C'mon, Brooke," Lucas sighed. "You never call me back."_

_"Now you know how I feel," she stated. "Listen, I know it's been difficult for you lately, loosing Keith and your heart condition and giving up basketball. I feel like, I've been keeping you close to me to try to protect you from those things. Like I'm holding onto the two of us for you, but not for me."_

_"I'm sorry I kissed Peyton," Lucas apologized, sitting down. "I should've told you."_

_"It's not about that, Luke," she corrected him. "It's not. You know, I thought that it was, but this is not about her. This is about me. I love you Lucas. And I probably always will. But we go days without having a meaningful conversation. And I used to miss you so much when that happened. But it never seemed like you missed me. And I guess because of it, I stopped missing you," she whispered. Lucas looked up, pain in his eyes._

_"I mean, look at today…" she said, and then started rambling while Lucas sat there, contemplating the situation. What was he going to do? He couldn't loose Brooke. He loved her too much._

_"Brooke-" he began._

_"I'm sorry. I can't do this anymore," she said, and then leaned in to kiss his cheek. She then got up and started walking to his door._

_"Brooke," he called out to her. She turned around and looked at him._

_"I'm sorry," he said._

_She nodded. "Yeah. Me too."_

_End of Flashback_

"Yeah. I always loved Lucas. I told him I always would. But I didn't know if we were ever going to get back together. I kind of lost hope after he started dating Peyton, so I started dating Chase," Brooke explained.

"Is that why you and Chase broke up? Because you found out that Peyton and Lucas split?" Haley asked.

"We grew apart…" Brooke trailed off. Haley kinked an eyebrow.

"Okay, so it might've had something to do with the fact that Luke and Peyton broke up," Brooke admitted.

"Why'd you and Luke break up again, Peyton?" Haley asked her friend.

"We grew apart and then Jake returned. I realized I still had feelings for him and that wasn't fair to Lucas. I just see Lucas as a friend now," Peyton explained.

"I remember when Lucas and I got back together. It was a pretty great time," Brooke smiled.

_Flashback:_

_Lucas walked up to Brooke's porch and knocked on her red door. Brooke opened it and smiled at her friend._

_"Hey, Luke," she greeted him, pulling him in for a hug._

_"Hey," he said back, breathing into her beautiful, brown hair._

_"Come in. What are you doing here?" she asked, closing the door behind them after he had walked in._

_"I wanted to talk to you about something," Lucas answered._

_"Okay," Brooke shrugged. "Sit down."_

_They sat down on her couch in the living room._

_"So, you probably heard that Peyton and I broke up," he started._

_Brooke nodded. "Yeah. Nathan and Haley told me when I was went to see Jamie," she said, referring to Nathan and Haley's one year old son._

_"What happened?" Brooke asked him._

_"We grew apart. That's what she said. She said she looked at me as a friend now… and she had fallen in love with someone else. I think she wants to be with Jake again," he explained._

_"Jake's back in town?" Brooke asked, surprised. Peyton never told her that._

_"Yeah, he is. I would've been hurt about this breakup before, but it doesn't hurt much. Honestly, I had felt like our relationship wasn't full of love anymore, but just a friendly connection between the two of us."_

_"Yeah, I know what you mean. Chase and I broke up the other day," Brooke recalled._

_"I'm sorry, Brooke. It must suck. I thought you really liked him," Lucas said._

_"Yeah, I did. But we weren't meant to be. And now that I look at our relationship, I think we were meant to be friends. Just friends," Brooke explained. Lucas nodded._

_"Can I ask you something?" Lucas asked._

_Brooke nodded. "Yeah, sure, Luke. Anything."_

_"What ever happened to us?" Lucas asked. Brooke was surprised._

_"What?"_

_"Why didn't we ever work out? I honestly don't believe that we grew apart, Brooke. I think there was something else," Lucas stated._

_Brooke sighed. "Alright, fine. I was jealous of you and Peyton. I was jealous of the relationship that you two had while we were still dating. So I had to break up with you because I didn't want to get hurt again, like before. Because you hurt me so bad… and I couldn't be vulnerable again like last time. I didn't want to be that scared, hurt, broken girl again who is always a fool in love who gets hurt."_

_"You're not a fool," Lucas said, wiping a tear away that falling freely from Brooke's eyes._

_"Then why am I always the one to get hurt?" Brooke asked not only him, but herself._

_"I think people take advantage of you because they think you're superior and you can't be knocked down, ever. That's not you, Brooke. I know who you are. You're like Nathan. This whole, dating a lot of guys, is just a defense mechanism. When you and I were together, I loved how you opened up to me and let me in. People don't realize it, but you are a strong, independent woman," Lucas complimented her._

_"You really mean that?" Brooke asked her ex-boyfriend. "I mean, you're not just saying that?"_

_"Let me show you something. It's in my car," Lucas said getting up. "C'mon."_

_Brooke followed Lucas out the door and they walked up to his car, which was parked in her driveway. He grabbed his keys from his pocket and unlocked the car. Lucas grabbed a small book from the passenger's seat._

_"You remember this?" he asked, handing her the book. "'She was fiercely independent, Brooke Davis. Brilliant and beautiful and brave. In two years, she had grown more than anyone I had ever known. Brooke Davis is going to change the world someday, and I'm not sure she even knows it,'" Lucas read from his book._

_"You're amazing Brooke, and you always will be," he promised her. He pulled her in for a hug. As they pulled away, Lucas crashed his lips into Brooke's. He stood there, kissing Brooke, while she was only in shock. Quickly, the shock wore off and she kissed him back. And right then and there, she knew that she would always be in love with Lucas Scott._

_They finally pulled away._

_"What was that?" Brooke asked._

_"I love you, Brooke. I was with Peyton because I needed something to cover up the pain that I held from our breakup. I told myself that I would always love Brooke Davis, and here I am, still at your feet," Lucas chuckled._

_"I'm the guy for you Brooke Davis. I always have been and I always will be. I still am," Lucas promised her._

_"I can't get my heart broken again, Luke," Brooke responded._

_"I know you can't. And I promise that I would never hurt you again. I love you so much, Brooke," Lucas said._

_"Luke-"_

_"I feel lost without you. Nobody compares to you. I've tried dating Peyton, but it's not the same. We weren't meant to be. You and I are. You're the one. I cannot live without you, and believe me, I've tried," he chuckled. "I feel so lost without you by my side. You're the one I want next to be when all my dreams come true, and I want to be next to you when your dreams come true. I want us to be together forever," Lucas said._

_Brooke was speechless._

_"I love you, too," Brooke smiled. She kissed Lucas._

_End of Flashback_

"He said those things to you?" Haley asked.

"Yeah he did. And look at us now. We're married with two sons and a daughter. Life couldn't be more perfect."

* * *

"Haley!" Nathan called out to her as she walked into their house. He ran up to the door and gave her a quick kiss.

"How you doing, sexy?" he asked his wife.

"Great. What about you, Mr. Hot Shot?" she smirked. He laughed.

"You'll never guess who I ran into today at the park," he smiled.

"Who?" she asked, playing with his shirt as they walked upstairs and into their bedroom. James, Jackson, and Lydia were staying with Brooke and Lucas for the night.

"My childhood best friend," he answered. She sat on their bed and started unbuttoning his shirt.

"Who?"

"Lindsey Strauss," he responded. She stopped unbuttoning his shirt.

"Who's Lindsey?" she asked, confused. He never told her about a Lindsey. "Was she at our wedding?"

"Nah. We weren't in contact then, so I didn't think about inviting her. I haven't talked to her since the fifth grade. She didn't go to our school- she went to another school- but we were still friends. She knew who Lucas was, even though Lucas and I didn't get along. She moved to California, so we kind of lost contact. But she told me she's back in Tree Hill."

_Flashback:_

_"Jackson! I'm gonna get you!" Nathan laughed as he ran around the park earlier that day. James, Jackson, Jason, Jenny, Ethan, Adam, and Lydia were running around the park with him and Lucas. Jake was watching Kaitlin while talking with Mouth. All of the sudden, Nathan ran into someone while he was chasing Jackson._

_"I'm so sorry, I…Nathan?" the voice said. He looked up and saw his old best friend, Lindsey Strauss._

_"Lindsey? Oh my gosh, what are you doing in Tree Hill? I thought you were in California with your parents," he said, hugging her._

_"Yeah, well, after I moved out of my parent's house after high school, I went to an Ivy League School for college. Then I graduated, went to another Ivy League School for graduate school, started a publishing company, and then moved back to Tree Hill," she explained._

_"I'm so glad you're back. I missed you," Nathan said._

_"What about you, Mr. Big Shot?" Lindsey joked, using his childhood nickname. He laughed._

_"A lot. After I entered high school, Lucas joined the Ravens and it drove me absolutely insane, so much that I had to haze him-"_

_"You hazed your brother?" Lindsey asked surprised. Nathan was so sweet in elementary school. He didn't seem like the guy who would torture his brother._

_"Yeah. I was in a dark place in high school, and I didn't even notice it," Nathan explained._

_"So who helped you get out of that dark place?" Lindsey asked._

_"A lot of people. My friends, for the most part," Nathan answered. It completely slipped his mind to specifically mention Haley. He didn't know why. Maybe it was because he was completely overwhelmed by Lindsey's return, that he forgot to mention his wife, and son for the matter, at all._

_"So how's Lucas doing?" Lindsey asked. She spent little time with Lucas, but she still wanted to know how he was doing. And she only spent time with Lucas when Nathan wasn't around._

_"He's doing great, actually. You remember how I told you about Brooke Davis in the fourth grade?" Nathan asked._

_"Yeah, I do," Lindsey recalled. "She's the one who was into clothing, right? The one who's parents live in California, away from her?"_

_"That's the one. She and Lucas have a really long history together," Nathan started._

_Lindsey raised an eyebrow. "Lucas and Brooke? But Lucas is so…broody and you said Brooke is so…cheery, you know?"_

_"Yeah, I know. But after Lucas joined the basketball team during our junior year, he caught Brooke's eye and she pursued him. It's a long story. You want to hear it?" Nathan asked his old friend._

_Lindsey nodded. "Yes."_

_"Brooke was the girl to sleep around with a lot of guys in high school. Actually," Nathan chuckled, "we had a one night stand during our junior year. After Lucas joined the basketball team, Brooke started to like Lucas, but her best friend, Peyton Sawyer, who is also my ex-girlfriend, liked Lucas too. Lucas had a choice, and Peyton turned him down at first, so he chose Brooke. He and Brooke started dating seriously, but Peyton decided she wanted to date him. So they went behind Brooke's back and Lucas cheated on her with Peyton. Eventually, Lucas broke up with Brooke, but Peyton dumped him as well, so he moved onto another girl, but he dumped her because he realized he was still into Brooke. He told Brooke he wanted to be with her right before the summer started, but she left to go to California without telling him how she felt. When she returned, they started dating non-exclusively, but Brooke took advantage of that and still went out with other guys. Lucas was fine with that until she slept with Chris Keller, who is a totally different story- don't even get me started on him. Lucas got mad at Brooke and wouldn't talk to her. Eventually, they did make up when she gave him letters that he wrote to him over the summer, but never sent. All was going well until Peyton kissed Lucas when they were stuck in the library after Jimmy Edwards shot her. He brought a gun in the school because he was sick of getting beat up and bullied. Lucas told Brooke that Peyton kissed him in the library. Brooke broke up with him because of the kiss and because she realized they were growing apart anyway. Lucas went onto date Peyton during the rest of their senior year, but they broke up a year after graduation because Lucas realized that he still loved Brooke and Peyton realized she still loved Jake, whom she dated during our junior year. Brooke and Lucas got back together after he talked to her. Shortly after, he proposed to her, they got married, and had three kids- two boys, Ethan and Adam, and a little girl, Kaitlin. She was pregnant while they were engaged at the age of twenty, and she actually went into labor during their reception. It was funny. Ethan is six, Adam is four, and Kaitlin is one. And now, they're still married, happy as ever," Nathan finished his long story._

_"Wow. That's quite some story. I dated a few guys in high school, but none of my relationships were as complicated as Lucas and Brooke's. So he has three kids, huh?"_

_"Yeah. They're adorable. Ethan and Adam look just like Lucas, but Kaitlin looks a lot like Brooke. I bet she's gonna become a fashion designer like her mom," Nathan laughed. Lindsey laughed back. She looked at her watch and realized she was going to be late for her next meeting with a new client._

_"Nathan, I have to go right now, but we should meet up some time and talk some more. It was really great to see you," she said, hugging him again._

_"Yeah, you too. I'll call you so we can meet up this week," Nathan said._

_"Sure."_

_End of Flashback_

"So she's a good friend, huh?" Haley asked her husband.

"Yeah, she is. I missed her," he sighed.

"How'd you meet her?"

"She went to another school, which is why you never met her, but we met because our dads were friends. They were both business men. You know, because my dad owns 'Dan Scott Motors' and her dad owns some publishing company. So we hung out a lot. But we were just kids," he said.

"She, uh, she sounds like a really close friend."

"She is. Well, night Hales. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Nathan and Haley got underneath the covers and Haley rested her head on Nathan's chest. As Nathan quickly fell asleep, Haley couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealous thinking about this Lindsey girl. It seems as though she and Nathan had a close relationship, way before Haley met Nathan. Nathan and Lindsey were extremely close before Haley came along. But now that Lindsey was back, she would probably be spending a lot of more time with Nathan. And Haley didn't like that. But she figured she'd try to be calm and civil for her husband's sake. Because she trusted him and she loved him. A lot.

* * *

"What's on your mind, Tutor Girl?" Brooke asked. Brooke, Haley, Peyton, Lucas, and Jake were currently in Lucas and Brooke's living room. Nathan had gone out with Lindsey to 'catch up' for the fourth day in a row and their kids were with Karen, Keith, and Lily.

"Do you guys know a Lindsey Strauss?" Brooke, Peyton, and Jake shook their heads 'no,' but Lucas nodded.

"Oh yeah. She didn't go to Tree Hill Elementary School like us, though. She went to some fancy private school in Tree Hill. But I remember my mom told me she saw some blonde girl coming over to Nathan's house all the time. I hung out with her a couple of times when we ran into each other, but since Nathan and I hated each other, we didn't talk as much as we would have liked," Lucas explained.

"How come you never told me about this…_mystery girl_, Broody?" Brooke asked her husband, raising an eyebrow.

Lucas shrugged. "I didn't think she was that important. I mean, we hung out once or twice in the fourth grade before she moved away, but that was it."

"Why do you ask, Haley?" Jake asked, picking up a fry from his plate.

"Nathan's been hanging with this girl for the past week and I'm starting to get worried. What do you think they're doing?" Haley suspiciously asked. She told herself not to be jealous, but she couldn't help it. This Lindsey girl was practically taking her husband away from her, even if it wasn't for a romantic relationship.

"Relax, Hales," Peyton assured her. "There's nothing to be worried about. Nathan wouldn't cheat on you."

"He cheated on you," Haley bitterly pointed out. She then realized what she had said and looked at Peyton.

"I'm sorry Peyton, I-" Haley apologized.

Peyton just waved her off. "It's fine. I know he cheated on me a thousand times. But there's a big difference between your relationship with Nathan and my relationship with Nathan. After he met you, he changed and you know that. He wouldn't cheat on you if the world was ending or if he had to if he wanted to live. He loves you so much it isn't even real. Your love is so strong for each other, and I promise you, he will not cheat on you. Not now, not ever. Don't you say 'forever and ever' or something sappy like that?" Peyton laughed.

"Always and forever," Haley smiled.

"Yeah. See? You guys even have a catch phrase or whatever. Nathan and I never did. By the way, why don't we have one, Jake?" she asked her husband.

He shrugged. "I don't know. We haven't been together as long as Nathan and Haley have. We just need to think of one."

"What about you, B. Davis? You and Luke have a catch phrase?"

Brooke thought about it. "We don't, do we Luke?" she said, looking at her husband.

"Well, I, uh, well we could, just we need to, I, um," Lucas stammered. "See what you did, Hales?" he teased his friend.

"Sorry," Haley apologized, grinning sheepishly.

"We're Broody and Cheery," Brooke suggested.

"Yes, we are," Lucas smiled.

Brooke laughed. "I know you're just doing that because you can't think of one yourself."

Lucas shrugged. "That too."

Everyone laughed.

"I remember the first time Nathan said 'always and forever.' It was at our first wedding," Haley smiled, remembering their wedding, in which there were only five people there- Haley, Nathan, Haley's parents, and the minister.

_Flashback:_

_"Someday, this beach might wash away. The oceans may dry. The sun could dim. But on that day, I'll still be loving you. Always and forever. I promise you, Haley," Nathan said, holding Haley's hands. They were standing on the beach, a minister next to them, and Haley's parents watching them, holding a bouquet of flowers._

_"And now Haley, please repeat after me. 'I, Haley, take you, Nathan…" the minster began. Haley looked at her parents, smiling, before looking back at Nathan._

_"I, Haley, take you Nathan," she repeated._

_"To have and to hold, from this day forward."_

_"To have and to hold, from this day forward," she repeated again. "In sickness and in health. For richer or poorer. For better or worse. I promise that I will love and cherish you. And will deny all those that come between us. I make this promise for eternity. I promise that I will keep forever. Until the end of time. Till death do us apart."_

_End of Flashback_

"That's sweet. Except, you didn't invite me, Tutor Girl," Brooke pouted.

"I didn't know you that well at the time, Brooke. Besides, I invited you to my second wedding _and _I made you the maid of honor."

_Flashback:_

_Haley walked down the wedding aisle with Lucas. Her father couldn't be there at her wedding, so she had her best friend and brother-in-law do it instead. Before handing her off to Nathan, he quickly hugged his best friend. Haley then took Nathan's hands and they walked up to the minister. Haley handed her flowers to Brooke, the maid of honor._

_"Friends and loved ones. We are gathered here today to witness the renewal of a commitment. A commitment between Nathan and Haley. To love each other. Unconditionally and endlessly. Nathan and Haley- there are many things I could say the to the two of you today, but instead, I choose to listen to the words you have for each other. Haley," the minister said to Haley._

_"Nathan, it's been said that there's one word that will free us from the weight and the pain of life. And that word is love. And I believe that. It doesn't mean that it hasn't been hard, or that it won't be. It just means that I found a stillness and bravery in myself with you. You make me brave. And I will love you until the end of time. This I vow today."_

_"Nathan."_

_"Last year, we stood on a beach and I told you how much I loved you. And how I would always, always protect you. And that day, nobody believed that this would work. But, I don't think anyone understood the love that I had for you. Because if they did, they would've never doubted of us. So I wanted to marry you all over again in front of most of our world. Because today, when I look into you eyes, my love for you only grows. It's even stronger now. And our love will never waver. This I vow to you today, and always, and forever."_

_"Haley, on this day, do you reconfirm and rededicate yourself the vows you promised to have hold?" the minister asked her. Haley looked at Brooke who handed her the ring._

_"Thank you," she laughed. _

_"I do," she promised, slipping the ring on Nathan's finger._

_"Nathan, on this day, do you rededicate and reconfirm your commitment to the vows you promised to have hold?"_

_"I do. And actually, I have a new ring," he said, grabbing a ring box from his pocket. He opened the ring box and Haley gasped. He took it out and put it on Haley's finger._

_"Thank you," she whispered._

_"And now, before the eyes of God, I once again pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride," the minister said._

_"I love you, Haley," Nathan smiled._

_"I love you, too," Haley said, before kissing her husband with passion and love, something they would forever hold in their hearts for each other._

_End of Flashback_

"Do you remember our wedding, Lucas?" Brooke asked her husband sweetly, batting her eyelashes.

Lucas laughed and nodded. "Of course I do, Pretty Girl. Best day of my life."

_Flashback:_

_Brooke walked down the isle with Jake leading her. Her father couldn't be there, like always, so she asked Jake to do it, since they were so close. She would've asked Nathan, but he was already Lucas's best man, so she figured it would only be fair. She couldn't choose between Haley and Peyton to be her maid of honor, so she chose both of them._

_Brooke finally reached Lucas and she took his hands with her own. He grinned and she smiled back, a small tear running down her face. She was just so happy._

_"We are gathered here today to witness the promise of commitment, faith, and love for all eternity. Lucas and Brooke will finally wed, and hopefully go on to live loving each other for all eternity," the minister began. "Lucas and Brooke will say some things before I say some of my own. Lucas."_

_"I never expected to fall in love with Brooke Davis," Lucas began. Everyone laughed. "I was always prepared to love Peyton Sawyer for the rest of my life. But, when I started dating Brooke, she opened up to me and I realized that I misjudged her. Under her exterior, there was a beautiful, broken girl who just needed to be loved and cherished and treasured. She was an amazing girl who had a beautiful soul. She was," Lucas laughed. "'Fiercely independent, Brooke Davis. Brilliant and beautiful and brave,'" Lucas recited from his book. "I cannot imagine my life without her because she brings the best our of me and she gives me reason and rhyme. I felt so lost when I wasn't with her, and I want to spend the rest of my life loving her. This beautiful, amazing, talented woman," Lucas finished. Brooke smiled, a tear in her eye._

_"Brooke," the minister prompted._

_"Lucas caught my eye the first time I saw him on the basketball team. At the time, I unfortunately wanted him for all the wrong reasons," she chuckled. Everyone laughed and Peyton nodded knowingly. "But, when we started dating, I realized he wasn't like most guys. He was sweet and he loved literature, and he loved his family so much. He had an amazing friendship with Haley and he took care of his mother all the time. I fell in love with a sweet boy. And I still love him. He changed me, just like Haley changed Nathan. I am no longer the girl who wants to sleep around, but the girl who wants to make a change and a difference. I wanted to fall and love, and I did, with the greatest man in the world. I love you so much, Lucas. And I always will," Brooke promised._

_"Lucas, please say your vows," the minister commanded._

_"__I, Lucas Scott, take you, Brooke Davis, to be my wife to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part," Lucas promised. He slipped the ring on Brooke's finger as she smiled._

_"Brooke," the minister prompted._

_"I, Brooke Davis, take you, Lucas Scott, to be my husband to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part," Brooke said. She then slipped the rig on his finger._

_"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."_

_"I love you, Brooke Davis Scott," Lucas said._

_"I love you, too," she said, before kissing him._

_End Flashback_

Haley sat there while her friends started talking about their weddings. All she could think about is Nathan with Lindsey. He hoped he wasn't doing anything bad. She really did hope.

* * *

"You threw Lucas into a ditch?" Lindsey asked, shocked. She and Nathan were currently sitting on the bench in the park.

"Yeah, I did. I kind of felt bad for Lucas at the time, but I didn't show it," Nathan said.

"Wow. I feel bad for Lucas and I wasn't even there," Lindsey laughed. They sat there in a peaceful silence.

"I really glad we got to hang out, Lindsey."

"Me too, Nate," she said. Before she knew what she was doing, she leaned in and kissed Nathan. He sat there, shocked, as she continued to kiss him. After regaining his senses, he quickly broke off the kiss and stood up.

"Lindsey, I can't do this," he said.

"Why not?" she asked. "Do you not like me?"

"No, it's not that. I like you, but just as a friend."

"You wouldn't want us to ever be more than friends?" she asked, hurt. She really thought that Nathan was into her.

"I can't be more than friends with you. Not now, not ever," he said.

"Why?" she asked standing up.

"I'm married," he explained, holding up his left hand with his wedding ring. She widened her eyes in surprise. Her Nathan was married? Nathan Scott, the man who threw his brother in a ditch, was married? To who?

"You're married?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. It just slipped my mind, I guess," he shrugged.

"I had no idea, Nathan. I'm so sorry," she apologized.

Nathan shook his head. "It's fine. You didn't know. I get it."

"Whom are you married to?"

Nathan smiled. "The most amazing woman in the world. The girl who changed my world forever. Haley James Scott."

Lindsey raised an eyebrow. "Lucas's best friend?"

"Yeah. Weird, huh? But she started tutoring me in high school, we fell in love, and got married when we were sixteen," Nathan explained.

"Sixteen?" Lindsey asked. That was so…young.

"Yeah. I know. It's young. But I loved her so much. It didn't really seem to matter. We were so in love, that our age was just a number, not an obstacle," Nathan said.

"So you just got married at sixteen and that's it?"

Nathan laughed. "It's a little more complicated than that."

"How so?"

"You wanna listen to my love story?"

"Sure," Lindsey said.

Nathan nodded. "I was basically failing in a lot of my classes during my high school junior year. I would've gotten kicked off the basketball team if I failed. At that time, I was still hazing Lucas, so I figured the best way to get to him would be to seduce his best friend, who was Haley. I asked her to tutor me, but she turned me down at first. I guess she felt bad for me though, because she later agreed. We started tutoring behind Lucas's back, but he then found out. Eventually, Haley and I started dating, and I dated her, not because of Lucas, but because I really liked her. I loved her so much even though we were only sixteen. I was emancipated from my parents, so Haley was really my only family. Because of that and because I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life, I asked her to marry me, and she said yes. We have a private wedding on the beach and the only people there were her parents. We were in the honeymoon phase after we got married, but we split up after she went on tour with this jackass- Chris Keller- who was the same guy that Brooke slept with while she and Lucas were non-exclusive. We were going to get an annulment, but we decided to get divorced instead. But over that period of time while our divorce was getting processed, we got back together. So we called off the divorce and I asked her to marry me again. We got married, this time in front of all our friends, and then she got pregnant with our son. At that time, we were struggling to pay for our apartment because both our parents couldn't help us, so I made a deal with a guy so he would give us money. But he cheated us and to get revenge, he tried killing me by running me over with a car. But Haley, the most amazing woman ever, got hit instead to save me. She was hit while she was pregnant. I couldn't take seeing her in pain, but she eventually woke up and our son was fine. She gave birth during our graduation, during her valedictorian speech. We both attended Duke for college, and she got pregnant again, this time with a daughter, during our sophomore year. She gave birth to our daughter with no problems. After college, when we were twenty-two, she gave birth to our second son. And then I got into the NBA when our second son was two, which was two years ago. And now, we're happier than ever, because my wife is pregnant again with our third son," Nathan finished, almost out of breath from the story.

"That is quite a story, Nathan," Lindsey laughed. "I had no idea. So you have three boys and a girl?"

"Yeah. I mean, our third son isn't born, but Haley's five months pregnant," Nathan told her.

"What are your kids' names?"

"My first son's name is James Lucas Scott, my daughter's name is Lydia Bob Scott, my second son's name is Jackson Cooper Scott, and my third son's name is Liam Robert Scott," Nathan said.

"Where'd you get the names?"

Nathan smiled. "James is named after Haley's maiden name, James and my brother, Lucas, Lydia is named after Haley's mom, Lydia, and Haley's middle name, Bob, Jackson is named after Haley's uncle, Jackson, and my uncle, Cooper, and Liam is named after my great uncle, Liam, and Haley's brother, Robert," Nathan finished.

"Wow. So they all have something to do with family, huh?" Lindsey smiled. That was so sweet.

"Yeah."

"Nathan, I really am sorry that I kissed you. I had no idea that you were married to such an amazing woman. I'd like to meet Haley one day," Lindsey said.

"It's fine. I, I'll call you and you can meet Haley," Nathan promised.

"Okay."

"I have to go home, but I'll call you, okay?" Nathan said, getting up.

"Yeah, sure. Bye Nate."

"Bye." Nathan left the park, hoping nobody would find out about the kiss. But little did he know, that two people had passed by and saw the kiss. And those people were not happy. They were not happy at all.


	5. The Truth Always Hurts

_"We fell in love, and at some point, the people we love forgot to love us back."  
-Keith Scott_

**Chapter 5: The Truth Always Hurts**

_Previously:_

_"Nathan, I really am sorry that I kissed you. I had no idea that you were married to such an amazing woman. I'd like to meet Haley one day," Lindsey said._

_"It's fine. I, I'll call you and you can meet Haley," Nathan promised._

_"Okay."_

_"I have to go home, but I'll call you, okay?" Nathan said, getting up._

_"Yeah, sure. Bye Nate."_

_"Bye." Nathan left the park, hoping nobody would find out about the kiss. But little did he know that two people had passed by and saw the kiss. And those people were not happy. They were not happy at all._

The two people who were watching Nathan and Lindsey kiss were still hiding in the shadows. They both shook their heads in disappointment as Lindsey left and Nathan ran off as well. Nathan had just cheated on Haley. Their Nathan cheated on his wife who he so called 'loved so much.' Yeah right. Go to hell, Nathan.

"How could he do this to Haley?" Brooke asked.

"I don't know, baby," Lucas replied. "I guess Nathan never really changed his ways."

"But this is Haley we're talking about. She'll be crushed once she finds out that Nathan cheated on her with his old friend," Brooke said.

Lucas looked at his wife. "Do you really think Nathan will tell Haley?"

Brooke shrugged. "I don't know. It's Nathan. He and Haley let each other in, but when it comes to things like these, I don't know if he'll be so open about it. You know your brother."

Lucas shook his head. "No, this is not my brother. My brother wouldn't be such an ass. This is the old Nathan, who I absolutely hated. Because the Nathan I know wouldn't do this, especially to Haley."

"What do we do about this?" Brooke asked Lucas.

"I don't know. I don't want to lie to my best friend, but I also don't want to hurt her," Lucas replied.

"Should we tell Haley?" Brooke asked her husband.

"Let Nathan tell her. Give him some time. If he doesn't confess, we'll have to. I hate doing this to Haley. She doesn't deserve this. No one does."

"I'm going to have to kick Nathan's cheating ass later on," Brooke declared. Lucas looked at her. "Or maybe you can do it."

Lucas laughed and kissed his wife's forehead. He loved Brooke so much. Unlike his son-of-a-bitch brother, he would never cheat on Brooke. Never.

* * *

Nathan rushed home to see his wife and kids. After Lindsey kissed him, he knew he had to go home and get Lindsey's taste off his lips. The only kiss he loved was Haley's, and he felt so wrong with someone else's kiss lingering on his lips.

Opening the door of their house, Nathan quickly ran into the living room to find Haley lying down on the couch. A blanket wrapped around her small body and her beautiful brown eyes were closed. Her skin was deathly pale and her arms were limp. She didn't look too well.

"Haley?" he whispered, shaking his wife. He didn't want to wake her up, especially after what had happened, but he needed to make sure she was okay.

Her eyes fluttered open as she let out a small cough. He slightly flinched at the sight of Haley sick.

"Hey, hey. You okay?" he asked her, helping her sit up. He quickly kissed her lips and felt her smile.

"I'm fine, Nathan. Just a little under the weather," she answered him, coughing again.

"Haley. C'mon. You're sick. I'll take care of the kids tonight. You can just rest," he said, letting her lie down again.

"I told you, Nate. I'm fine. I can take care of the kids-"

"No," I interrupted her. "I'll do it. You've done enough already while I was gone," he said, kissing her head.

"Nate-" she started, running her hands through her honey blonde hair.

"I've got this, babe. You've done too much. Just get some rest. The kids will be fine," Nathan promised his wife.

Haley sighed and lay back down. She was feeling fine- it was just a little cold. She trusted Nathan- of course she did. It's just that she kept on having those thoughts of Lindsey and Nathan together. They just wouldn't stop.

* * *

Over the next few days, Haley began to feel a lot better, but Nathan still insisted that she stay in bed and rest until she completely recovered. Haley didn't know how she got sick, but she wasn't happy about it at all.

Nathan still hadn't told Haley about this kiss, and he was considering not telling her at all. It wasn't like he was the one who kissed Lindsey. She kissed him first. It wasn't like he had any sort of romantic attraction towards her either. He loved Haley more than anything. He would never cheat on her with anyone. Lindsey had kissed him way too fast for him to move out of the way.

But the other side of Nathan said that Haley deserved to know, even though it wasn't his fault. She was his wife, and he remembered when she pushed him to let her all the way in, even if it meant telling her his darkest secrets, ones that she wouldn't like at all. It was during their senior year, a couple days after the car crash with Cooper and Rachel.

_Flashback:_

_Nathan walked into the bedroom that he shared with Haley. He saw her sleeping, so he figured he'd let her sleep and not wake her up._

_"You keep going to that bridge," she muttered. He looked at her, startled. He thought she was asleep._

_"I never thought I'd be jealous of a river," she continued, trying to add some humor._

_"You know how much I like the water," he chuckled slightly._

_"I'm really trying not to be jealous and I want to be understanding, but, uh, it's really hard with you sneaking around," she said._

_"I'm sorry," he apologized._

_"I don't want you to be sorry!" she exclaimed, putting her hand up. "I want you to let me in. Whatever it is, you know? Even if it h-has something to do with Rachel," she sighed. He looked at her with confusion._

_"Even if you like her. I just want you to tell me," she pleaded, her voice strained._

_"Do you think I like Rachel?" Nathan asked Haley, standing up and going to their bed where she lay. "Haley, I was just, I was just talking to her about the accident. I just wanted to know if she saw it too," he admitted._

_"Saw who?" she asked._

_"Keith," he stated. "I think he's the one that pulled me out of that car. I'm nobody's hero," he explained._

_"Why didn't you tell me?" Haley asked._

_"Because I thought it would go away. I thought basketball would fix it, but it didn't."_

_"Nathan," Haley sighed, sitting up. "Your problems are my problems. I want us to figure this out together. And you're wrong. You're my hero," she smiled, pulling him down with her onto the bed._

_"So you don't think I'm crazy?" he asked her, sighing._

_"No, I do not think you're crazy," she answered. "Do you think I'm fat?"_

_"What?" he asked, surprised. Haley James Scott usually wasn't insecure. "Of course not."_

_"Do I have a little head?" she asked again. What was with all these insecurities coming from her? This wasn't the Haley he knew._

_"No. I love your head. Come here," he assured her, kissing her forehead._

_"So that's why you keep going down to that bridge?' she asked him._

_"For that. And…" he said, pulling her Cracker Jack bracelet out of his pocket. "For this," he said, putting the bracelet on her right wrist where it belonged._

_"I love you Haley," he promised her._

_"I love you too Nathan Scott," she said, kissing him._

_End of Flashback_

Nathan continued to contemplate the situation. He was torn. He didn't want to tell Haley, but he felt the need to because they always let each other in all the way. Oh, why did Lindsey have to kiss him? This made things so damn complicated.

* * *

"Broody, has Nathan told Haley yet?" Brooke asked Lucas. It was ten o'clock on a Saturday morning and she and Lucas had just gotten up. Ethan, Adam, and Kaitlin wanted to spend the night with Karen and Keith to hang out with their grandparents, so Brooke and Lucas had the night to themselves. Their kids would be back by 10:00 PM at the latest.

Lucas just shook his head in disapproval. "Not yet. I think we need to do something about this, Cheery."

"Why?" Brooke asked.

"I know Nathan probably just as well as Haley does. He likes to keep things to himself a lot so that he won't hurt the people that he loves. But he doesn't realize that it's just hurting them even more. We got to tell Haley, Brooke, because Nathan probably never will. I can't lie to my best friend," Lucas explained.

Brooke nodded. "Okay. Well, if we have to tell her, then I know how to. And it might include you kicking Nathan's cheating ass."

Lucas shrugged. "I'm all for it. My brother needs to know that he can't cheat on anyone, especially someone as sweet as Haley."

Brooke nodded. Nathan needed to learn a couple of things.

* * *

Nathan sat on his couch in the house watching TV. The kids were at Karen and Keith's with Brooke and Lucas's kids. Haley had left about half an hour ago to go to Brooke's. Apparently Brooke had to speak to her about something urgent. When Haley had asked what it was, Brooke just broadly stated that it was "girl stuff" or whatever that meant. Nathan didn't bother to find out. As much as he loved Haley, he didn't need to know what she and Brooke needed to talk about. It was probably about clothes or makeup or whatever.

Nathan was about to change the channel when he heard a frantic, loud, and hard knock on his door. Sighing, he got up and opened the door. The second the door was opened, a fist collided with his face.

"Shit!" he yelped in pain, holding his bleeding nose. The figure punched him once again, and Nathan screamed in pain. "Damn it!"

"It's what you deserve, little brother," Lucas said, closing the door behind him.

"What do you mean? You think I deserve to be punched? For what? Crap! I think you broke my freaking damn nose!" Nathan screamed, grabbing tissues from the kitchen. Lucas just followed him.

"I will willingly punch you again, Nathan, for what you did," Lucas promised him.

"I don't understand, Lucas. What the hell did I do?" Nathan asked. Finally, the bleeding stopped.

"You know what you did and don't you dare try to hide it. Both Brooke and I know what you did, you damn jackass!" Lucas screamed.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Nathan screamed back. What the hell was his brother yapping about?

"I will not let you do this to Haley," Lucas continued on.

"Do what to Haley?!" Nathan exclaimed, getting frustrated. Why wouldn't Lucas just tell him what he did?

"You cheated on Haley!" Lucas explained angrily.

"With who?"

"Lindsey! That damn whore Lindsey who you kissed the other day! Man, I knew that bitch was nothing but trouble. But I trusted you with her, and you betrayed that trust. More importantly, you betrayed your wife. How could you do this to Haley, Nathan?" Lucas screamed.

To Lucas's surprise, Nathan burst out laughing. He had to bend down because he was laughing so hard. Because of this, Lucas's fist collided with Nathan's face once again.

"Ow! Stop hitting me!" Nathan yelled.

"Well stop cheating on Haley! Why the hell are you laughing about this?" Lucas asked.

"Luke, I didn't cheat on Haley. She kissed me," Nathan defended himself. Lucas looked at him angrily and kicked Nathan's shin.

"Damn it, Luke, that hurts!" Nathan screamed.

"Not as much as it hurts me to see you cheating on Haley. How could you do this to her? I thought you loved her!" Lucas said, and then looked around. Grabbing Nathan's neck, he pushed him against the wall. Nathan screamed in pain.

"Get off me, Lucas! Get your hands off me!" Nathan demanded.

"Shut up, Nathan. Let me tell you something and you better listen. Haley is the sweetest girl I've ever met. She's amazing, and that's why she is my best friend. I thought you knew how amazing she was, but I guess it was all just a lie. What'd you do? Plan to force her to fall in love with you, marry you, make sure she'd have your children, put her through all this crap, and then break her heart by cheating on her with Lindsey just so you could get the satisfaction of letting a beautiful girl cry all her tears out and leaving her with nothing but the children of a son of a bitch? You are not my brother. My brother would not cheat on his beloved wife. You know what, Nathan? You can go run off with Lindsey; live happily ever after with her. But you will not come after Haley again. Stay away with her. You've done enough damage. How long have you been with Lindsey? Weeks? Months? _Years? _Because that's just sick. One day, you'll wake up and you'll realize that letting Haley go was the worst mistake of your life. You'll regret ever letting go the most amazing girl ever. Lindsey isn't close to half the person Haley is and she never will be as perfect or beautiful as Haley. And while you go to bars and parties and get Lindsey pregnant, Brooke and I will be there for Haley and _her _children. Because you're done with Haley. You and your cheating ass will never speak to Haley again," Lucas finished. He let go of Nathan, who finally breathed the breath that he didn't know he'd been holding in.

"Lucas, for the last time- I did not kiss Lindsey. She kissed me. I have no attraction towards her whatsoever," Nathan said, putting his hands on his sore neck. Lucas really grabbed him hard.

"You let her!" Lucas pointed out. "I know Lindsey. And as much as I absolutely hate her right now, I know she wouldn't kiss you if she knew you were with Haley. So what'd you do? Make Lindsey kiss you so you'd have an excuse to divorce Haley, huh? What'd you tell Lindsey? How'd you get her to kiss you?"

"I didn't tell her anything. If anything, it's what I didn't tell her!" Nathan blurted out.

"What didn't you tell her?" Lucas asked.

Nathan sighed. "I never told her about Haley and the kids."

Lucas punched Nathan again. This time, Nathan didn't try to block him from doing so. He deserved that punch. He felt bad for not telling Lindsey about Haley. He deserved that punch.

"Go to hell, Nathan," Lucas muttered.

"Lucas, please. I'm being honest about this whole thing. I didn't kiss Lindsey and I never will. I love Haley more than anything. She's the only one," Nathan promised his brother.

"Look into my eyes tell me you've never felt any attraction towards Lindsey. Tell me that the whore is just a friend. Tell me that you felt absolutely nothing when you kissed Lindsey. Tell me that Haley is the only one you've ever imagined being with forever. Can you tell me that, huh?" Lucas asked him.

"I've never felt any attraction whatsoever towards Lindsey. Haley is the only one I want," Nathan said.

"You left out the part that Lindsey's a whore," Lucas muttered.

Nathan looked at him. "I won't call Lindsey that. She's not a whore-"

"She kissed you, Nathan. You're married and she kissed you. She can't go around kissing married men for the sake of it!" Lucas shouted.

"She didn't know I was married!" Nathan defended his friend.

"Because you didn't tell her about it! Nathan! How could you not mention your own wife? How could you not mention your own children?" Lucas stressed.

"Look, I feel bad about this whole thing-"

"Don't give me that crap. Like I said, you will stay away from Haley and her kids and you will stay away from me, Brooke, and our children. Tell me when my _real _brother is back. Because I'm not looking at him right now," Lucas said, walking towards the door. Nathan ran to catch up to Lucas.

"Luke, please, you have to believe me. I wasn't the one to kissed Lindsey. How'd you find out about that anyway?" Nathan asked.

"Why? You trying to figure out which lie to tell me next?" Lucas shot back.

Nathan sighed angrily. "Why are you talking, Lucas? You cheated on Brooke with Peyton _twice,_" Nathan pointed out.

"Okay, first of all, Peyton kissed me in the library, not the other way around," Lucas said. "Brooke and I didn't break up because _Peyton _kissed me. We broke up because we grew apart. It was Peyton, not me," Lucas said.

"Yeah, and it was _Lindsey _who kissed me. What about the first time, huh? What do you have to say about when you cheated on Brooke with Peyton during our junior year? That wasn't all Peyton that time," Nathan yelled angrily.

"That's not something I'm proud of, Nathan. But here's the thing. I was so confused as to who I wanted to be with. I liked them both. I was a confused sixteen year old. But you're twenty-six, Nathan. I grew up and decided I wanted to be with Brooke, not Peyton. You need to grow up, Nathan. We're not in high school anymore. I thought you married Haley because you wanted to be with her forever, with no one else. I'm not proud of what I did, but I grew up quickly and married the right girl. I love Brooke, not Peyton, and I thought you loved Haley. It's time you learn what's right," Lucas said.

"Damn it, Lucas, I do love Haley. You have to believe me when I say that Haley is the only one I love," Nathan sighed, frustrated.

"Go to hell, Nathan. Stay away from Haley and my family. You're done with Haley. Say goodbye to 'always and forever.' Get over yourself because you've just lost the best thing that ever happened to you," Lucas yelled, slamming the door behind him, leaving Nathan in tears.

* * *

"Brooke, what'd you need?" Haley asked, opening Lucas and Brooke's front door with the emergency key they had given her.

"I just, I need to talk to you about something. Lucas and I don't want to lie to you, Haley, but we don't want to hurt you either," Brooke sighed, motioning Haley to come over and sit next to her on the living room couch.

"What are you talking about?" Haley asked, sitting down next to Brooke.

"Please don't be mad at me and Lucas," Brooke continued on.

"About what?" Haley tried again.

"But we feel like you should know the truth. You deserve to know."

"Brooke, you're scaring me. I'm serious. What are you talking about?" Haley asked, tugging at her friend's sleeve.

"Luke and I saw some things the other day," Brooke started. "They weren't good things. And I'm sorry we waited so long to tell you, but we wanted to see if _he _would tell you first."

"Who's he?" Haley asked.

Brooke sighed. "Nathan."

Haley raised an eyebrow. "What'd he do, Brooke?"

"I don't wanna hurt you, Haley," Brooke said.

"What'd he do, Brooke?" Haley asked again.

"Nathan cheated on you," Brooke revealed.

And at that very moment, Haley's entire world came crashing down. Her husband, her Nathan, cheated on her? This had to be a joke. No, Nathan would not cheat on her. He promised her that her loved her. He promised her _twice_. Two weddings. Three children going on to four. He wouldn't do this to her. He wouldn't hurt her like this. Out of all ways, did he have to hurt her this way? He promised that he would protect her forever from all harm in the world. But why was he the one hurting her now? Everything was spinning and she couldn't control it. Her whole world was crashing down right before her eyes.

"W-what?" was all Haley could get out.

"I'm sorry, but Luke and I saw him kissing someone else-"

"Who?" Haley asked.

"Haley-"

"Please, Brooke. Who?" Haley asked.

Brooke sighed. There was no getting out of this. She couldn't lie to Haley. "Lindsey."

And that's when the tears started to fall. Nathan promised her that Lindsey was just a friend. He basically lied to her face. Her husband lied to her. She gave him her trust and he betrayed that. He betrayed her trust and he betrayed her love. He betrayed her. She didn't know if she could trust him anymore.

"Are you sure? What happened?" Haley asked disbelievingly. She just wouldn't let the idea of Nathan cheating on her sink in.

Brooke sighed. Haley had doubts and she didn't blame her. If Lucas cheated on her _again_, she would have doubts as well.

"Remember that day when Nathan and Lindsey were hanging out while we were at my and Luke's place? You know when the kids were with Karen and Keith?" Brooke recalled. Haley nodded.

"After you, Peyton, and Jake left, Luke and I went out to grab some coffee. The coffee shop was right near the park, so we passed by and saw Nathan and Lindsey kissing. I'm sorry, Hales," Brooke apologized.

Haley looked at her. "You have nothing to apologize for. It's all Nathan. How could he do this to me? I trusted him when he said he was just friends with Lindsey, and he lied."

"If it makes you feel any better, Luke's over at your place kicking Nathan's cheating ass," Brooke tried to comfort her.

And that's when Haley finally let it fully sink in. Nathan had cheated on her. Nathan didn't love her anymore. Nathan didn't really care anymore. And now, she was all alone to take care of the kids while being pregnant because there was no way Haley could forgive Nathan for this. There was absolutely no excuse for what Nathan had done.

Fast, hot tears feel down her cheeks. Haley was full on sobbing into Brooke's arms now. Brooke was rubbing her friend's back in an attempt to calm her down. But there was no way to calm her down and Brooke didn't blame Haley for basically bawling. If Lucas had cheated on her again, she'd cry, divorce his sorry ass, get full custody of the kids, and then plan revenge on her ex-husband. Luckily, she knew Lucas wouldn't cheat on her again. He wasn't like his _brother._

_'What a jackass,' _Brooke thought, still trying to calm Haley down. _'He's worse than Chris Keller, Felix, and Rachel.'_

"Haley, you'll be alright, okay? You don't need Nathan. That dumbass isn't worth all of your tears and neither is his whore," Brooke said, referring to Lindsey.

"But it hurts so much, Brooke. He promised me…he p-promised me…" Haley cried.

"I know it does, sweetie. But you're stronger than that, remember? Boys won't tear us down," Brooke reminded her.

"Unless this boy is your husband who you've given everything to," Haley sobbed, faster tears rolling down her cheeks.

Brooke opened her mouth to say something when the front door opened. Brooke looked at the door to see Karen, Keith, Lily, Ethan, Adam, Kaitlin, James, Jackson, and Lydia.

"What are you guys doing here?" Brooke asked, standing up, leaving Haley silently crying on the couch.

Karen furrowed her eyebrows and looked at her watch. "It's 6:45 PM, Brooke. You wanted them back by 10:00 PM, right? Well, Keith and I figured that they'd have dinner here, so we dropped them off early. Plus, Lily wants to go home so she can have the Wii to herself," Karen chuckled.

Brooke nervously chuckled back. She didn't want her kids or Haley's kids to see Haley crying. While she was trying to figure out how to hide Haley's tears from the kids, Jackson spoke up.

"Why is Momma crying?" he said, walking over the couch to sit by Haley.

"Uh-" was all Brooke got out.

"What happened?" Jamie asked, joining his brother by the couch.

"Well-"

"What'd you do, Aunt Brooke?" Lydia asked.

"I didn't-"

"I bet Aunt Brooke cooked really badly again and Momma started crying because the food was so bad," Jackson suggested.

"That's ridiculous-"

"Maybe my Momma told her a funny joke and Aunt Haley started laughing so hard, she started crying," Ethan added, joining James, Lydia, and Jackson by the couch.

"What the-"

"Maybe Momma fell down the stairs," Jackson added. "You know how clumsy she is."

"She didn't fall-"

"Maybe she and Aunt Brooke were watching a really sad movie when Momma started crying," Jamie suggested.

"Like The Notebook?" Lydia asked.

"Or A Walk to Remember?"

"Dear John."

"The Titanic."

"The Vow."

"Safe Haven."

"The Proposal."

"Romeo and Juliet."

"How do you know all those movies?" Brooke asked. But they ignored her again.

"Maybe Momma was drawing sketches for clothes when she accidentally poked Aunt Haley in the eye with a pencil," Adam said.

"That would never happen," Lydia said, shaking her head. "Momma doesn't cry when she gets hurt."

"Lydia," Brooke said. "Your mom is strong. So yes, she doesn't cry a lot, but when she does, it's because someone has hurt her so badly. More than you can imagine."

Everyone widened their eyes, including Keith and Karen. "Brooke, what happened to Haley?" Karen asked her daughter in law about her other daughter in law.

"Can I talk to you and Keith in the kitchen?" Brooke asked her, gesturing her to the kitchen. Karen nodded and she and Keith followed Brooke.

"So what happened?" Keith asked, putting his hands on the counter.

"Okay, uh, Luke and I saw something the other day when the kids were with you guys and it wasn't a good thing," Brooke started.

"What'd you see?" Keith asked.

"Did Nathan do it?" Karen followed up.

"Do I have to have a talk with my nephew?" Keith asked.

"Do Peyton and Jake know?"

"Is Haley okay?"

"Do we have to take the kids again?"

"Will you guys let me tell you what happened?" Brooke asked, putting her hands up.

They nodded.

Brooke sighed. "I just told Haley that Nathan cheated on her."

They both widened their eyes. "What?"

"Lucas and I saw him kissing Lindsey. Lucas is over at Nathan and Haley's kicking Nathan's ass. I just told Haley and she's not taking it very well," Brooke said.

"I wouldn't if I were her," Karen said. "Can Haley and her kids stay your place tonight? I don't Haley wants to be with Nathan right now. We can take your kids if you want."

"No, it's fine, Karen. Of course Lucas and I will be happy to let Haley stay here for as long as she wants. We're not speaking until he and Haley make up, if they ever make up. I don't expect her to forgive him. He broke her heart completely. Look at her. Luke and I will take her and her kids for as long as they need. Nathan needs to time to figure this out and so does Haley. Seeing him will just be worse for Haley," Brooke explained. Karen and Keith nodded and then they exited the kitchen to enter the living room where the kids were trying to grab a blanket from the highest shelf to wrap around Haley who had cried herself to sleep. Brooke sighed. What had Nathan done to Haley? She rushed over to help them get the blanket.

"You guys are good kids, you know that?" Brooke said, grabbing the blanket and draping it over Haley's small body.

"We just wanna help our momma," Jackson said, referring to himself and his brother and sister.

"Yeah," Adam added on. "Aunt Haley has helped us so many times. We don't like to see her cry."

"Why is she crying?" Jamie asked.

Brooke looked at them. How was she supposed to explain that Haley's kids' father cheated on Haley with some lying whore? How was Brooke supposed to tell her kids that their amazing Uncle Nathan cheated on their sweet Aunt Haley? She wouldn't have to do this if Nathan never cheated.

"Your father," Brooke started, looking at Haley kids. "You know, Uncle Nathan," Brooke said, now addressing her kids. "Kissed another woman. He's not supposed to do that since he's already married to your mom and your Aunt Haley. And now she's sad because since he kissed another woman, he lied to her."

"My daddy's a bad person?" Lydia asked, looking at Brooke with her bright blue eyes. Brooke felt her heart break as she looked at Lydia's eyes that were so similar to her father's.

"H-he's not a bad person, he just doesn't know what's right or wrong. And what he did was wrong," Brooke gently explained.

"I hope Aunt Haley will be okay," Ethan said.

Brooke ruffled her son's hair. "She will, buddy. I promise she will. We'll help her get better. I can promise you that."

* * *

After dinner, Brooke had took the kids a bath, brought them to bed, and then went to the living room where Haley was still sleeping. However, she looked anything but peaceful. Her cheeks were stained with tears, her eyes were blood-shot, her blonde hair was messed up, her beautiful skin was now pale, and she had one hand laying on her stomach that carried Liam. How could Nathan do this now? Haley was more vulnerable than ever and she was pregnant.

Brooke sat down on the chair next to the couch and then saw Haley violently shake in her sleep. Brooke jolted up and quickly tried to shake Haley, which was useless because Haley continued to shake.

"Haley, come on, wake up. It's just a dream," Brooke said. "Come on, Haley."

Haley continued to violently shake in her sleep and warm, slow tears were beginning to roll down Haley's pale face.

"Haley, please. Wake up from this nightmare." Brooke felt her eyes brim with tears. What had Nathan done to Haley?

Brooke jerked her head towards the door when she heard it open. Fortunately, it was Lucas, who had his hand wrapped up in gauze. It was probably from punching Nathan so hard so many times.

"I'm sorry I'm late, babe, but I had to get my hand wrapped up-" Lucas began.

"Lucas! You have to help me! Haley's having some kind of nightmare, which I think is about Nathan, and she won't wake up. Please. What has Nathan done to her?" Brooke cried.

Lucas rushed over to Haley and began to shake his best friend. He hated seeing her like this. He wished he had punched Nathan harder for leaving Haley like this. She was breaking. Lucas could see it and so could Brooke. Haley was drowning and she didn't even realize it yet.

"Haley. Haley please. Wake up. I'm here, I'm here. It's Lucas. It's Brooke and Lucas. Please wake up. You're scaring us," Lucas tried.

Haley only continued to shake.

"Please, Haley. C'mon, wake up. We're here for you. We're here," Lucas comforted her.

After many attempts, Lucas finally got Haley to wake up.

"Lucas," she cried, holding on to her best friend for dear life. "Luke, help me. Make him go away. Make him go away."

"Who?" Lucas asked, holding onto her. He looked over at Brooke who was silently crying. Brooke hated seeing Haley like this and so did Lucas.

"Nathan," Haley cried. "I love him, but he's leaving me. He doesn't want me anymore. He doesn't love me anymore. Please, Lucas. Make him go away and bring back _my Nathan. _This is not my Nathan."

"Haley, Haley, it was just a dream-"

"I want my Nathan back. I want the Nathan who loves me and wouldn't cheat on me with Lindsey. Make this Nathan leave. I want _my _Nathan," Haley sobbed.

"Haley, shh. It was just a dream. It was just a dream. It's okay. You're okay," Lucas soothed.

"I'm not okay. What'd I do wrong? Why doesn't my husband love me anymore? What'd I do?" Haley cried.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Haley. Nathan was the one who went wrong and he's going to realize that. You're amazing Haley, and if Nathan can see that, than he's dumber than I thought," Lucas assured her.

"Please don't leave me," Haley pleaded Lucas and Brooke. Brooke nodded, tears running down her face, and put her hand on Haley's knee.

"We're right here. We're not going anywhere," Lucas promised. "Go back to sleep. We'll be next to you through the whole night."

Haley sniffed and reluctantly lay back down, closing her tired eyes.

Lucas and Brooke looked at each other and sighed. What was Nathan doing to Haley?

* * *

Lucas and Brooke fell asleep right after they were sure Haley was asleep. Though it wasn't very comfortable, Lucas slept on a cushioned chair while Brooke slept on the sofa. They didn't really care, though. As long as they were near Haley.

Meanwhile, Haley was still dreaming about Nathan, but this time it was only the good times they had shared before this happened.

_Flashback:_

_Nathan continuously threw rocks at Haley's window hoping she would hear him and talk to him about their ruined date._

_Haley walked past Nathan and saw him throwing rocks at her parent's bedroom window. "Trying to wake up my parents? That's their room." _

_Nathan looked at the window with disbelief and then ran to catch up with Haley. "Wait, Haley. Look, I need to apologize, okay?"_

_"You should have them in bulk if you're going to hand them out that often," Haley replied, stopping her pace._

_"Look, I just, I don't know how to do this, alright? …I'm not like you," Nathan sighed._

_Haley looked at him with confusion. "What does that mean?" she asked._

_Nathan sighed. "Alright, I screw up a lot. And being around you, I just, I don't want to be that guy anymore," he told her."_

_"Well who do you want to be Nathan?" she asked him seriously._

_"I want to be somebody who's good enough to be seen with you," he answered._

_Haley paused for a second. "Well, you should've thought about that last night. You know, I keep- I keep putting myself out there and you keep blowing it. And it's probably a good thing, because at this point there's nothing you can say or do that's going to surprise me-"_

_Nathan cut her off as he kissed her. She stood there for a few seconds, not kissing back, before he broke off the kiss._

_"Except that. You shouldn't have done that Nathan," she said._

_"I wanted to," he responded._

_"Yeah…" she said, and then she jumped onto him and kissed him. Nathan was at first surprised, but the shock wore off quickly and he kissed her back with love and passion, everything that he had for her._

_End of Flashback_

Haley smiled slightly in her sleep at the memory.

_Flashback:_

_"I could love you forever," Nathan breathed._

_Haley smiled. "And so could I."_

_"You're my family now, Haley. The true thing I have. I never wanna loose you," Nathan said, holding Haley in his arms._

_"You won't," Haley promised him._

_Nathan continued to look at Haley with his eyes filled with love._

_"What?" Haley asked, after she noticed that he was just staring at her._

_"Marry me," he asked._

_She smiled and pushed him playfully, thinking he was joking. "Stop it."_

_"What?" he asked, sitting up as she did too. "Will you?"_

_"Oh, you're embarrassing me," she chuckled softly._

_"Why not?" he persisted._

_"Because," she said, tucking some strand pieces of hair behind her ear. "We're in high school," she reasoned._

_"So what? I'm emancipated," he pointed out._

_She looked at him. "Is this about sex? Because I want to wait?"_

_"No," he answered. "I can see you caving on that one already."_

_"Oh, maybe so," she laughed. "Nathan, couples don't get married in high school, it's just, it's not normal."_

_"So? I'm not normal. And what I'm feeling is definitely not normal. And to be honest with you, Haley, I don't ever wanna be normal. Not with you. I'm serious," he said._

_"I know you are," she responded, touching his arm._

_"Okay, so I'll say it again. I could love you forever," he repeated._

_"And so could I," she said._

_"So why can't forever start today?" he asked._

_End of Flashback_

Haley turned on her side and took a long breath. She couldn't stop thinking about Nathan.

_Flashback:_

_"Hi. This is Nathan and Haley Scott. Please leave a message…or not," Haley laughed into the phone. She and Nathan were currently trying to record the message for the voice mail, but they couldn't come up with the right one._

_"That's the worst thing I've ever heard," he commented._

_"Shut up, it rhymed, I like it!" she exclaimed. He clicked the a button on the phone._

_"Message just being erased," a auto recorded voice said through the phone._

_"Oops," he chuckled._

_"Fine, let's just do one together," she suggested._

_"Wait a second, isn't that only something really cheesy couples do?" Nathan asked._

_Haley put her arm on his back. "Yeah, well we are a really cheesy couple, mister."_

_"Good point," he gave in._

_"Okay," she smiled. "Hi, you've reached Haley-"_

_"And Nathan. I live here to," he interrupted her._

_"Yes, Nathan lives here too because we're married," Haley said._

_"And, uh, we can't get to the phone right now because we're, um…" he trailed off, gesturing for Haley to finish._

_"Having sex?" she suggested. He looked at her with a smirk on his face._

_"I'm mean, we're just, we're just having hot sex…oh," she moaned jokingly. "Oh! Oh, we're still on! Uh, leave a message!"_

_"And, uh, we'll back to you when we're done!" Nathan laughed and he and Haley fell off the bed._

_End of Flashback_

Haley couldn't get through to what Nathan had done to her. It didn't seem like him. That wasn't the Nathan she knew and loved with everything she had inside of her.

_Flashback:_

_Haley and Nathan were sitting on a red blanket in the middle of the football field. He had set up some food for a perfect night with Haley._

_"I want you to know something," he said, his hands on her knee. She looked at him._

_"If anything ever happens to me. If you ever, if you ever loose me," Nathan started._

_"Nathan-"_

_"I want you to know how happy you made me. How wonderful my life was with you. And how I'll always be with you," he promised._

_"Nothing's gonna happen to you," she said._

_"I know," he chuckled. "I know, you're right. But, if it does, I just want you to be okay, Haley. And know that you made me happy," he replied. She smiled and nodded slightly._

_All of the sudden, the football sprinklers went off and Haley shouted in joy._

_"Oh!" she cried happily._

_"You wanted rain," he laughed._

_"Oh!" she squealed, putting her arms around Nathan. She put her forehead against his._

_"It is not possible to be this in love," she giggled, kissing Nathan._

_End of Flashback_

Haley slightly sighed. She still loved Nathan. But did he love her anymore?

_Flashback:_

_"Oh man, this view is so beautiful from the dock," Haley commented as she and Nathan were walking on the docks. They were on the vacation with Peyton, Brooke, Rachel, Mouth, Bevin, Skills, and Lucas to forget about the school shooting._

_"Well, you know, docks are kind of special for us. Remember when Dan busted us for drinking?" Nathan recalled._

_"Ugh, don't remind me. Although, I have to say, I did kind of enjoy throwing up on him," she laughed. Nathan laughed back._

_"So yeah, I couldn't help but notice you had your hands in your pockets all weekend. What's that about?" he asked._

_"I guess I can't really hide it from you. Um, I lost my ring. Twice. And I'm really sorry. Uh, you're probably just really disappointed in me," she sighed._

_"You mean this ring?" he asked, holding her wedding ring up._

_"Yeah," she sighed a breath of relief. "Where did you find that?"_

_"I kind of stole it. Twice," he chuckled. She looked at him with disbelief and confusion. Why?_

_"Haley," he started, getting down on one knee._

_"What are you doing?" she asked._

_"Over the past year, I've learn so much about life and love. And even if I could, I wouldn't take back all the bad stuff that happened between us. Because it brought us here. This moment. This river." Nathan took Haley's hand and slid her wedding ring on her left ring finger._

_"Marry me, Haley. Marry me again in front of all our friends and family," he asked her._

_"Always," she answered. "Always and forever." She kissed him as he stood up. She then took his wedding ring from the chain he kept around his neck and slid it on his finger. She giggled with joy and then kissed him again. She was so happy._

_End of Flashback_

Haley opened her eyes as pictures of her and Nathan continued to spin in her head at it's everlasting quick speed. She couldn't get him out of her head. What was she doing? He betrayed her, yet, she couldn't stop thinking about him. What was he doing to her?

She stood up and walked to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. She grabbed a glass from the shelf, but she wasn't looking closely and she dropped the glass onto the ground. It shattered into pieces and Haley sighed angrily.

"Damn it," she cried, trying to pick the pieces up. Only, when she tried to, the broken pieces of glass only cut her more and more. Blood stained her hands and she gave up trying to pick the scattered pieces up.

The broken glass pieces were like her heart. The more she tried to pick up those last pieces, the more she bled and the more she hurt herself. If she continued to try and pick up the pieces of her heart and give Nathan another chance, she would only hurt herself in the end.

She was breaking and she was drowning all because of Nathan.

He was crashing her world, but she loved him too much to even realize it. She just hoped he would realize what he had done so she could forgive him.

She really did hope because she couldn't live without him.

It was impossible.


	6. Little White Lies?

_"There's no shame in being afraid. Hell, we're all afraid. What you gotta do is figure out what you're afraid of because when you put a face on it, you can beat it. Better yet, you can use it."  
-Whitey Durham_

**Chapter 6: Little White Lies?**

Nathan woke up with his face in his pillow, his tired, sore voice muffled. He looked over to see Haley's side of the bed empty for the third day in a row. It had been a few days since Lucas told him to stay away from Haley and the kids. He missed her so much and he wanted to explain himself to her, but he figured he'd wait a couple of days before going over there so he could give her some space. He figured the last thing she'd want was to see him, considering what she thought he did with Lindsey, which he didn't.

Groaning slightly, Nathan got out of bed and squinted at the bright light that was coming through his window. He wondered how Jamie, Jackson, and Lydia were doing and how his unborn son was doing as well. He hated that this was happening now, during Haley's pregnancy and all.

After Nathan quickly changed into a blue button down shirt and jeans, he went into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of orange juice and attempt to make himself some breakfast. He'd cooked before, but Haley usually told him what to do and how long to keep the food on the stove or whatever. Now, without Haley, he wasn't too sure of himself.

Sighing, he just grabbed the box of cereal and sat down, thinking about Haley and kids. He missed them, and he was planning on seeing them today in an attempt to explain himself and prove that he never cheated on Haley and he never would while they were together.

_Flashback:_

_Brooke was currently in labor with her and Lucas's son. It was during their wedding reception that she went into labor, which was the worst time possible. Or course she wanted their son to be born, but while they were celebrating their new marriage was not the right time._

_Nathan and Haley were patiently sitting in the waiting room. Haley was eight months pregnant with Lydia when Brooke gave birth, so Brooke's son and Haley's daughter would be very close in age after they were both born. Two-year-old Jamie was with Jake and Peyton at their home. Peyton promised that she and Jake would be there when Brooke actually gave birth, but they promised Nathan and Haley that they'd take care of Jamie for a little while so that Nathan could help his brother with all of this since Nathan and Haley were already parents._

_"I can't believe Lucas and Brooke are going to have their first child together!" Haley exclaimed. Nathan laughed. She was acting all cheery like Brooke._

_"I know, Hales. Lucas always wanted a son and now he can finally have one," Nathan smiled. He was really happy for his brother. And now, he and his brother would both be parents to two amazing boys._

_"Did Lucas tell you what they're naming the baby?" Haley asked._

_Nathan shook his head. "No, did Brooke tell you?"_

_"Nope. She said it's a surprise or something like that," Haley answered. Nathan just nodded._

_"Mr. and Mrs. Scott?" a voice greeted them. They looked up to see the doctor who helped Haley deliver Jamie standing in front of them with a warm, genuine smile plastered across his face._

_"Yes, doctor?" Haley asked, standing up. Nathan stood up as well and put his arm around his wife's waist._

_"Ms. Davis Scott has given birth," he informed them, referring to Brooke._

_"Oh, thank you. Can you show me the room?" Haley asked politely._

_"Of course," the doctor responded and began leading them down a long, white hallways with thousands of doors to the left and right of them._

_"How is your son doing?" the doctor asked, breaking the ice. "Mr. James Lucas Scott, I believe?"_

_Haley smiled. "Oh, he's doing very well. He turned two a couple of months ago."_

_"And he's saying full sentences and walking a lot," Nathan added on, thinking about their son. He smiled._

_"That's wonderful, just wonderful. You guys seem like wonderful parents, despite your young age," the doctor said, referring to the fact that Haley and Nathan were only twenty and had a son and a daughter on the way._

_"Thank you, doc. It means a lot," Nathan thanked the doctor for the both of them._

_"Well here is Ms. Davis Scott's room. Please yell for any of the doctor's should you need to if your friend is in any pain," the doctor told them and then left._

_"Brooke!" Haley exclaimed, opening the door. Nathan followed close behind. Inside the room, Brooke was lying tiredly on the hospital bed, but a warm smile was painted across her face. Lucas was by her side, and together, they were holding a beautiful little baby wrapped in a light blue blanket. Haley felt herself tear up a bit, remembering the first time she and Nathan held Jamie together. It was a pretty magical time for the both of them._

_"Hi," Brooke smiled softly._

_"How're you feeling, Tigger?" Haley asked, coming closer to them._

_"I'm fine, I'm fine," Brooke replied._

_"Is that my new little nephew?" Haley asked, bending down to have a closer look and Brooke and Lucas's newborn son._

_"Yes. Guys, I want you to meet Ethan Keith Scott," Brooke smiled._

_"He's so beautiful," Haley gushed._

_"I know. And he's ours," Brooke said, referring to herself and Lucas._

_"Congratulations, Luke," Nathan congratulated his brother._

_"Thanks, man."_

_End of Flashback_

He and Haley shared so many great times together, even if it wasn't primarily about them. He just wished she could forgive him and truly believe that he never cheated on her. It was all Lindsey, not him. He didn't do a single damn thing.

* * *

"Haley, are you okay?" Brooke asked Haley for the tenth time that morning. It was 10:00 AM and she and Haley were in Lucas and Brooke room watching TV. Lucas was in the living room with the kids playing with the Wii, PlayStation, and X-Box. Every now and then, they could hear Lucas, Jamie, Ethan, Adam, or Jackson scream in either victory or loss. The girls were playing as well, but they weren't so verbal with the end result.

"Brooke, I told you. I'm fine. You've asked me that already about ten million time," Haley responded, giving her friend a fake chuckle. Of course Haley wasn't fine. She had just found out that her beloved husband had cheated on her a couple days ago. Why would she be okay with that?

"Okay, okay, just making sure again," Brooke said.

"Can we change the subject...please?" Haley pleaded.

"Sure," Brooke responded, dropping the subject for Haley's sake. "How's my little nephew doing in there?"

Haley had the smile as Brooke asked about Liam. "He's great, really great. I'm just waiting for him to be born. I just wish Nathan and I could share this together," she sighed.

"He's still Liam's father, you know," Brooke said, trying to Haley feel better. "You guys still are a family. He just made a huge mistake."

Haley shook her head. "I don't understand, Brooke. It sounds like you're siding with Nathan," Haley pointed out.

"I'm not siding with Nathan. I just, I'm trying to justify what he did. This whole cheating thing- it just doesn't seem like him. But I saw what I saw, and I don't know if I can try to see the good side of this. He's my friend, and he's yours too, and I want to try to justify his mistake, but I'm not doing very well," Brooke explained.

"Then why'd Lucas go and punch Nathan?" Haley asked. Even though she was mad at Nathan, she loved him all too much to think about him getting hurt.

"Right now, the only thing I can believe is that Nathan cheated, based on what I saw. I saw them kissing- what am I supposed to believe? And because I believe that he's unfaithful, I need to show him that what he did wasn't right," Brooke said.

"I get it, Brooke, I do. I just wish he didn't have to get hurt in the process," Haley sighed.

"You mean the way he hurt you?" Brooke shot back.

"I, I'm still in love with him, Brooke, despite what he did. I will always love him no matter what. And I know he and I have to talk about this and fix our relationship. I'm not ready to let go of him yet. I just don't know if I can forgive him right now," Haley declared.

"I know, I know-"

"You can't help who you love, you know?" Haley interrupted. "If Lucas cheated you again, would that make you stop loving him?"

Brooke sighed. "No, never. Even after he cheated on me twice, I still loved him more than anything. I just had to hide it and tell him that we just could be friends because I thought he was still in love with Peyton. But that was the worst time of my life."

"See what I mean? Even though Nathan cheated, I still love him so much. I will always love him because he's my only one, even if I'm not the only one for him. I just don't know if I can forgive him for what he did," Haley said.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt all too much. I don't want this to break you, Haley. You know I'm just looking out for you, right? That I don't want to split your family up? I would never want to split you and Nathan up or have him disconnected from you and his kids. I just don't want you to get hurt again like before," Brooke explained.

"I know, Brooke. You don't have to explain yourself to me because I get it. I understand, okay? I'm not mad. I could never be mad at you for looking out for me. And I love you and Luke so much for that," Haley thanked Brooke.

"Are you mad at me for telling your kids about Nathan?" Brooke asked. That had been killing her for days. She hadn't meant to tell the kids about Nathan. She wanted Nathan and Haley to explain it to them, but Jamie had asked and she didn't know what to do, so she accidently blurted it out to them.

Haley sighed and put her hand on her head. "I, I just, I'm not mad, Brooke, about that either. I just wish Nathan and I were the ones that could tell them."

"I'm sorry, Hales. I wanted that too. I just blurted it out-"

"It's fine, it's fine, Tigger. I told you. I'm not mad at you. But I know I have to talk to my kids about this. They deserve to know what's going on," Haley said, getting off the bed.

"You gonna talk to them right now?" Brooke asked, getting up as well.

"Like I said- they deserve it. They've been so good through all of this. It's the least I could do," Haley said, exiting the room, Brooke following her close behind.

Haley and Brooke walked in the living room to see the video game remote controllers lying on the ground and the TV off. Haley furrowed her eyebrows. Weren't the kids in here?

"Lucas?" Haley called out, walking down the hallway with Brooke next to her.

"In here!" a voice called out, coming from the kitchen. Haley and Brooke turned back and walked into the kitchen.

As soon as they entered the kitchen, their eyes darted towards the table where the kids were sitting down eating bowls of ice cream. Lucas was at the counter scooping a bowl of ice cream for himself and Brooke and Haley.

"Luke, what the hell are you doing?" Haley asked.

"Making ice cream," Lucas replied nonchalantly, grabbing the chocolate syrup from the fridge.

"I told you I didn't want my kids filling up on junk food, Lucas," Haley whined.

Lucas laughed. "Don't worry, Haley. They'll still be able to eat your amazing lunch. They deserve to eat ice cream considering what they've been through these last few days," he said, whispering the last part.

Haley sighed and nodded. He was right. Speaking of, she needed to talk to the kids about this whole situation and explain what was going on. She'd been giving them vague answers these past few days to avoid the truth, but she needed to face reality now.

"Luke, I want to talk to my kids alone. Could you and Brooke have your kids go to the living room or something? I need to talk my kids privately," she pleaded her best friend.

Lucas nodded in understanding. "Yeah, sure," he agreed, and then turned to the kids. "Ethan, Adam; can you two take your sister to the living room? Momma's gonna let you play on the Wii again," he said, referring to Brooke.

"Okay," Ethan said, taking Kaitlin's hand and leading her out of the room. Adam, Lucas, and Brooke followed close behind with Brooke whispering "good luck" as she exited the room.

Haley nodded at Brooke and then sat down at the table with Jamie, Jackson, and Lydia looking at her intently with slight confusion as to why she had asked Ethan, Adam, Kaitlin, Lucas, and Brooke to leave the room.

"What's up, momma?" Jackson asked Haley, pushing his ice cream towards the middle of the table. Suddenly, he wasn't hungry seeing his mother in nervousness and slight pain.

"I need to talk to you guys about something. And you can be mad or sad or whatever about this. I just think you all deserve to know the truth," Haley started, resting her elbows on the table.

"What is it?" Lydia asked, looking into her mother's brown eyes. Haley was the only one in the family with brown eyes; Nathan, Jamie, Jackson, and Lydia all had blue eyes. Haley would never tell Nathan this, but she secretly hoped that Liam would have brown eyes like hers so that she wouldn't be the _only _one with brown eyes.

"Okay, I, uh, you know you're father hasn't been around and-"

"Yeah, because he cheated on you," Jamie spat out.

Haley looked at him. "I know, I know, but-"

"How could he do this to you?" Jamie continued on.

"Jamie…"

"I know you, mom. You don't deserve to be hurt by dad. I love dad, I do, but you don't deserve to be going through this at all," Jamie said. Haley gave him a small, sad smile. Jamie was such a good son; he was always helping her in every way he could and he was so mature and smart for his age. She couldn't have had a better son.

"I know, Jamie, I know. Look, Jackson, Lydia, you two might be too young to understand this whole thing, but what Aunt Brooke told you was, unfortunately, right. You know I love your daddy so much, right?" Haley started.

Jackson nodded. "I know. That's why you two got married and had us. I hope one day I'll love someone they same way you love daddy."

Haley felt her heart break at his words. She bit her bottom lip and ran her teeth through her bottom lip to stop her tears from coming. "You're right. The love daddy and I have is very special. True love like ours doesn't come often, but I hope you will feel the same way towards someone the way I feel like towards your daddy. But here's the thing…" Haley started up again.

"What?" Lydia asked.

"Since your dad and I are married, we both have a commitment to love each other more than anything and stay faithful and true to each other. And over the past ten years of our marriage, he's stayed true to me. However, um, your Aunt Brooke and Uncle Lucas saw him…w-with another woman…and, a-and that's not right since he's already married to me. So he made a mistake and it hurts me so much because I love him even though he might not love me anymore. That's why he hasn't been with us for the past few days. I think I just needed some space from him to think this whole thing over, but if you guys want to see your father, then I can take you all to him," Haley promised them. Even though she and Nathan weren't talking right now, she wasn't going to disconnect him from their children. That would be wrong or her and selfish too. And if Jamie, Jackson, and Lydia wanted to see him, then they could because Nathan didn't do anything to upset them- it was only her.

"I wanna stay with you, Momma," Jackson said.

"Are you sure, Jack?" Haley asked. "I don't want to keep you from your father."

"I'm sure. I know you're hurting. As your son, I wanna be here for you like you're here for me when I'm hurt," Jackson said, putting his little hand on Haley's.

Haley smiled. "You'll always my little baby boy, you know that?"

"I know."

_Flashback:_

_"Nathan, Nathan, we have to get to the hospital!" Haley shrieked, getting up from her seat. Nathan ran into the kitchen to see his wife in pain, getting up, making her way towards the door._

_"What's wrong, Hales? Are you okay?" Nathan asked, worried._

_"It's time," Haley breathed out._

_"What? Are you sure?"_

_"Yeah, my water just broke," Haley informed him._

_"Whoa, okay, okay. You'll be okay, baby. We've already done this twice," Nathan assured her, referring to four-year-old James and two-year-old Lydia. "Our children have turned out just fine," Nathan joked._

_"Nathan, I am in labor. This is not the time for joking around," Haley scolded him. "Please get me to a hospital now!"_

_"Jeez, you weren't this cranky when you gave birth to Jamie or Lydia," Nathan teased again, opening the front door and leading Haley out of the house._

_"Yeah, well, when I gave birth to Jamie and Lydia, it didn't hurt like hell and my husband wasn't making lame-ass jokes!" Haley shouted._

_Nathan's smirk widened a little. "Okay, okay, sorry Hales," Nathan apologized, putting his hands up in surrender._

_"Can we please just go. Your son wants to get out now," Haley said, putting a hand on her head._

_Nathan hit the gas pedal and they sped off. "My son, huh?"_

_"Our son," she corrected herself._

_"That's what I thought you meant."_

End of Flashback

Jackson was such a joy. Haley was so full of pride and happiness when he was born, just like she was with Jamie and Lydia.

"You guys are everything to me. You know that, right?" Haley said.

Jamie nodded. "Yeah, we know. We won't ever let you down, mom. Promise."

Haley smiled gratefully. "That's all I needed to talk about. Now you can either stay in here with me or you can go out with Aunt Brooke and Uncle Lucas to the backyard with Ethan, Adam, and Kaitlin."

"Can we go outside? I mean, unless you want us to stay with you," Lydia requested shyly.

"No, baby, it's fine. I told you. What you want, you can have. We're getting through this time together. Besides, I need to think about what I'm going to say to your father when I finally muster enough courage to go and talk to him about this whole thing," Haley said. "Go outside and be kids. It doesn't last long."

Jamie, Jackson, and Lydia nodded and then ran outside to wear Brooke, Lucas, and their kids were. Haley watched through the window to see the six kids playing. Lucas laughed as Jamie accidentally threw the basketball to the neighbors' backyard while Brooke smiled as she pushed played with Lydia and Kaitlin on the swings. Jackson, Ethan, and Adam ran around the yard throwing a football. They were all having fun while Haley sat in the kitchen looking at them, as if they were the perfect family.

Upon hearing the doorbell ring, Haley slowly walked towards Brooke and Lucas's front door.

Opening the door, Haley gasped in surprise.

Nathan was standing there.

"Hi, Hales," he greeted her, a strained smile on his face.

Haley sat there in pure shock. It wasn't that she didn't want to see the love of her life. It was just that she wanted a few more days to think about what she was going to say to him and how they would make this whole thing work.

"Can I come in?" he asked, breaking the silence.

With a loss of words, Haley gave him a slight nod, and he came in. He set his jacket on the table and sat down on Brooke and Lucas's couch. Haley sat across from him on the other couch.

"Nathan, I-"

Nathan put a hand up to stop her from talking. "Hold on, hold on. I need to get this out first."

Haley sighed and nodded, glad she didn't have to say anything yet.

"What you saw...or what Brooke and Lucas saw was not what it looked like. I would never kiss Lindsey because I love you, only you. When we vowed that we would stay true to each other at our wedding, I meant what I said. I will love you always and forever. I swear, Haley, Lindsey means nothing to me compared to you and what we have. I didn't kiss her. She kissed me. I have not attraction towards her whatsoever. If I could take that moment back, I know I would because when she kissed me, it didn't feel right at all. You're the only one I love. You have to believe me when I say that my heart is with you. It always has been and it always will be," Nathan concluded.

"A kiss always means something," Haley said, quoting Brooke's words.

Nathan shook his head. "Not this time. Lindsey's kiss meant absolutely nothing to me. I set her straight. I told her I didn't like her that way and she would always only be just a friend to me because I have a wonderful life with you."

"Nathan, do you know how hard this past year has been for me? You've been chasing your dream- and I love that, I do. But when you're on those long trips for the NBA, I can never help but feel so lonely without your presence. It kills me that you have to be away all the time. But I deal with this all because you're living your dream and that's all I've ever wanted for you. To achieve something great, and you have. But do you know what it feels like for me that, after you finally come home, I have to hear from Brooke and Lucas that another girl has kissed you? Do you know how horrible that makes me feel as your wife? That I could be only number two for you-"

"You'll always be my number one, Hales," Nathan cut her off. "Always," he promised.

"Nathan, please. Tell me the truth," Haley pleaded.

"This is the whole truth. Look, I'm being honest about this whole thing. Is that not enough for you?" Nathan asked.

"Nathan, there has to be something that led her on. Would she really just kiss you out of the blue?" Haley asked, searching for answers.

"I didn't lead her on. I had no intention of ever cheating on you with Lindsey because, like I said, my heart is with you," Nathan promised.

"Tell me. Did she know you were married to me before she kissed you?" Haley asked.

Nathan put his head down in shame. That was the one thing he forgot to add in because he wasn't proud of it. "No, Hales, I-"

"Why didn't you tell her about me? About our kids?" Haley asked, a single tear running down her face.

"I don't know, I don't know. I guess it just slipped my mind-"

"Do I really mean so little to you? Do I not have such an importance in your life that you don't bother to mention that you're already married?"

"What? No, Haley. You're important to me. So important. You and the kids are the best thing that's ever happened to me. You mean everything," Nathan stated.

"Well you have a funny way of showing it," Haley said.

"Haley, look, I'm sorry for not telling Lindsey about you. I know it was wrong of me," Nathan apologized.

"Nathan, just, how could you do this? I'm you're wife. You're supposed to love me. I want to be your only one," Haley cried.

"You are my only one, Hales, I promise," Nathan promised.

"I can't understand why you wouldn't tell Lindsey about this," Haley continued on.

"It was stupid of me, Haley-"

"Why didn't you? I need a legit reason to try and make myself feel a little better," Haley said.

"I don't know. I just completely forgot-"

"Oh, you _forgot,_" Haley laughed bitterly. "How could you forget about your wife and kids?"

"Haley please-"

"No, Nathan, I just, I need some time to think about this whole thing, okay? Can you just go and we can talk about this later?" Haley pleaded.

"Haley, please. I miss you. I miss Jamie, Jackson, and Lydia. I want you all to come home so we can be a family again. Please believe me when I say I love you," Nathan said.

"Your words are different than your actions," Haley muttered. "Nathan, if you love me, then please. I just, I want you to go and I promise that we'll talk later. I just need to think this through, okay?"

"Haley-"

"Nathan. Just go. Please," Haley pleaded her husband.

Nathan sighed and got up from the couch, knowing there was no point in fighting with Haley. He grabbed his jacket and left, slamming the door behind him in slight anger, leaving Haley in tears and in pain all alone.

* * *

Two hours after Nathan had come over, Haley decided that the best way to clear her head was to go for a walk in the park. After telling Brooke and Lucas, Haley went outside and to the park, which was only a five-minute walk.

Haley continued to stroll through the path, seeing thousands of trees near her. Haley then looked over to her left to see a familiar face. She widened her eyes upon seeing Lindsey jogging near her.

Feeling a sudden jolt of anger running through her body, Haley ran up to wear Lindsey was.

"You're Lindsey Strauss, right?" Haley greeted her, starting out politely.

Lindsey looked at her a bit confused, but smiled warmly. "Yes, I am. And who are you?"

With one swift move, Haley stepped up and slapped Lindsey's cheek. Lindsey staggered backwards, grasping her cheek, a shocked expression on her face.

"Why the hell did you just do that?" Lindsey asked, almost shouting. "Damn it, it hurts. I have no idea who the hell you are, but you better have a good reason for that."

"Oh I have a good reason for that," Haley said, putting her hands on her hips.

"What?" Lindsey asked, taking her hand of her cheek.

"Revenge," Haley spat.

"For what? I have no idea who the hell you are!" Lindsey shouted.

"Really? Nathan Scott ring a bell?" Haley fired back.

Lindsey looked at her with confusion again until it hit her. "Haley James. Lucas Scott's best friend."

"Yeah, but more importantly, Nathan Scott's _wife,_" Haley clarified.

"B-but, last time I saw you with Lucas from a distance, you had auburn hair. It was straight, shorter...well, you're still a bit short. You were a complete bookworm, I remember Lucas telling me when we ran into each other once. You look completely different. Since when did you get blonde wavy hair?"

"I'm a natural blonde," Haley explained.

"That explains it. Anyway, I don't get it. Why the slapping. And damn, you can slap hard," Lindsey commented.

"That's what Rachel thought," Haley recalled.

"Who?"

_Flashback:_

_"So how'd you do it, Rach?" Haley asked Rachel, who just got down from dancing with a crowd of guys surrounding her. Haley was holding a red plastic cup and was currently furious with Rachel._

_"Do what?" Rachel asked, smiling._

_"Don't throw a dumbass at me, girlie. You stole that test and I wanna know how you did it. You steal my key while I was in the hospital? Yeah, I bet you did, didn't you? You know I could've spent my time tutoring someone that actually needed it and now I'm not gonna have that opportunity again, thanks to you," Haley fired._

_"Whatever," Rachel smirked nonchalantly._

_"So," Haley said and then splashed her drink all over Rachel's face. Everyone in the room gasped while Rachel looked at Haley in shock, trying to wipe the drink off._

_"That is for getting me fired," Haley said._

_Haley then slapped Rachel with one quick move. The sound of a loud slap was heard throughout the room. Everyone gasped again._

_"And that," Haley started, grabbing Rachel's face to look at her, "is for trying to sleep with my husband."_

_"Bitch, you are lucky you're pregnant," Rachel sneered._

_"Honey, you're lucky I'm pregnant. I think it's time you get your insecure, cheating skank-ass out of this house right now!" Haley demanded, pointing towards the door._

_"You bitc-" Rachel started, pushing Haley._

_"Yo, my, I think it's time for you to leave," Skills interrupted, pulling Rachel's arm._

_Rachel sighed and, feeling embarrassed, wiped her face and left the house._

_Haley stood next to Skills looking at Rachel leave._

_"Told ya I got the kid's back," Skills said._

_End of Flashback_

"Rachel's a cheating skank-ass bitch. You know, I think you're just as bad as her," Haley declared.

"Haley, if I did anything to upset you, which I don't think is possible since we've never actually talked or met, then I'm sorry," Lindsey apologized.

"You bitch, you're lucky I'm pregnant just like with Rachel," Haley sneered, not liking Lindsey's fake kindness.

"I don't understand. What did I do?" Lindsey exclaimed.

"You kissed my husband, you whore," Haley answered. She then laughed bitterly. "Are you that clueless to not know that you are the cause of my and Nathan's problems?"

"Oh, Haley, I'm sorry for that. In my defense, I didn't know he was married to you," Lindsey defended herself.

"I am aware of that. But maybe you should've asked him about his personal life _before _you went and kissed him. You are the reason why Nathan and I have split right now," Haley said.

Lindsey's eyes widened. "You two split?"

"We're not talking much and I'm not living in our house right now. My kids and I are at Brooke and Lucas's. I'd call that a temporary split unless things get worse from here," Haley said.

"Haley, I apologize for all of this. I swear, I didn't know Nathan was married. Should I have known beforehand, I would've never kissed him," Lindsey swore.

"You know, Nathan and I have been through a lot together. We split up after a few months of marriage during our junior year, but we managed to get back together. We stuck together after Nathan's accident with Cooper and Rachel and we stuck together after a car hit me. We've been through so many obstacles, yet we always manage to stick together because we love each other. So if you think you can just come to Tree Hill wanting Nathan, then sorry bitch, but he's taken and he always will be," Haley declared.

"I thought you two split up," Lindsey pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm reasonable. I still love Nathan regardless of what allegedly happened. I truly believe that he and I will remain together unless he does something later on that changes everything."

"If you believe that you two will get back together, then why haven't you yet? He hasn't done anything wrong besides not telling me he was married. It was my mistake. I told you. I'm sorry about this whole thing. Get Nathan back, because he's worth holding on to," Lindsey advised, putting her hand on Haley's shoulder, leaving Haley to think about what she wanted.

* * *

"Brooke? Lucas?" Haley called out as she walked into their house. She expected Brooke to run from the hallway, her big smile plastered across her face, and Lucas smiling as he followed her. Instead, she was greeted by the silence.

"Where are they?" she asked herself out loud.

"They're not here," a deep voice said. Haley looked up to see Nathan coming from the living room to greet her. "Brooke, Lucas, Ethan, Adam, and Kaitlin went to visit Brooke's parents for the weekend."

"Nathan? How the hell did you get in here? I told you to leave," Haley said.

"Lucas let me in," Nathan answered. He led her to the kitchen.

"Lucas?" Haley asked, with a raised eyebrow. "You mean the Lucas who practically beat you up?"

"Yeah. He's still mad at me, but Brooke convinced him. Apparently she's on Team Naley, or whatever the hell that means. What on earth is _Naley_?" Nathan asked, scratching the back of his head.

Haley smiled just a little. "It's Nathan and Haley combined. It's the first two letters of Nathan and the last three letters of Haley mashed together."

Nathan nodded his head in understanding. "Haley, you said we'd talk about this later. Well, now is later."

Haley ignored him. "Where are the kids?"

"Can we please talk about this first?" Nathan sighed.

"Nathan, I promise we will talk as soon as I find out where our children are," Haley demanded.

"Jamie and Lydia are upstairs playing on the Wii in the guest room," Nathan informed.

"And my little boy?" Haley asked, referring to Jackson.

"He's, uh, he's outside playing basketball," Nathan responded.

"Nathan, it's 9 PM. It's too late to be playing outside," Haley snapped.

"He'll be fine. He's right outside," Nathan said.

"Why aren't you watching him?" Haley asked.

"Because he's right there. I can see him through the window," Nathan answered.

Haley looked through the window. She didn't see Jackson. "Where? I don't see him."

Nathan furrowed his eyebrows and looked outside as well. "Where is he? He was playing just a second ago."

Haley could've sworn she saw a figure in the pool. Realizing it was her son, she gasped. "No, crap. Shit, Jackson!" she shrieked, running out the side door leading to the pool. Nathan followed her, outrunning her by a little. He jumped in to retrieve Jackson, who was face first in the pool. Pulling him out, he quickly handed him over to Haley while he tried to get out of the pool himself.

"Jackson, Jackson, wake up. C'mon. Momma's here. She's right here. You need to wake up, baby. C'mon, baby. You can't die. I'm right here," Haley cried, putting her forehead against her four-year-old son's.

"Jackson, buddy. You need to wake up for mommy and daddy," Nathan pleaded his son. "C'mon. Wake up."

"I can't find his pulse," Haley sobbed, searching for it.

"I, I don't know how to do CPR. Dan n-never taught me," Nathan stuttered, his heart beating quickly, slow tears running from his dark blue eyes.

Haley ignored her husband. She did a couple of compressions on Jackson's chest and then put her mouth to his, plugging his nose, and giving him long breaths.

"C'mon, Jackson," Haley cried. She couldn't loose her son. After all she had been through, she couldn't loose a child. "Nathan, call 911."

Nathan nodded, pulled out his cellphone, and dialed 911 as Haley continued to do CPR.

"_Hello?" _a woman at the other line greeted him.

"I need help. My son just f-fell into my friend's swimming pool and we found him face down in the water. W-we pulled him out, but we couldn't find a pulse. M-m-my wife is giving him CPR, b-but he's still unconscious. Please, you have to help me," Nathan pleaded.

"_Hold on sir. I need you to breathe for a second, okay?" _the woman advised him.

"I will not calm down. You help my son or I swear I will sue your entire staff for letting my son die!" Nathan yelled into the phone, his anger level growing higher.

"_We're sending over the paramedics right now," _the lady informed him, sounding a bit intimidated. _"What's your address?"_

After Nathan gave her Brooke and Lucas's address, the lady said the ambulance were on their way and she then hung up the phone.

"Is he waking up?" Nathan asked, putting his phone back in his pocket.

"No, no. Nathan what am I supposed to do? I mean, I found his pulse, but it's weak and his breathing his short and uneven. I will never forgive myself if he dies from this," Haley cried.

"He won't die, Haley. He's a strong kid. He'll pull through this," Nathan promised his wife.

"I love you, you know that?" Nathan said.

Before Haley could answer, the sound of the sirens of the ambulance were coming closer to them. The paramedics burst through their gate, wheeling a stretcher. Haley felt herself tear up. This was not happening right now.

* * *

"We need to talk," Haley demanded as she and Nathan sat down in the waiting room. Jackson was still in the ER and they were currently waiting for his status.

"Yeah, we do," Nathan said, thinking she was talking about the whole Lindsey incident.

"How the hell could you leave _our_ son out of your sight?" Haley yelled.

Nathan looked at her and sighed. "I'm sorry, Hales. I feel bad about this."

"You should've been watching him. You knew it was late and you knew that Brooke and Lucas had a pool right next to the hoop. Yet, you still let him go outside alone, unsupervised when it was almost pitch black outside," Haley continued.

"I'm sorry-"

"You should be sorry. I don't understand how you could be so irresponsible. Jackson is four years old. He's only four! He cannot go through these traumatic things at his age. His daddy's supposed to protect him, not put him in front of all the danger."

"Hales, I didn't mean for all of this to happen. I thought he was only playing. I don't know how we got into the pool. I swear I was watching him," Nathan promised.

"Well you weren't watching close enough. You let me out of your sight and you know it," Haley yelled.

"I only stopped watching him after _you _came home," Nathan shot back.

"Oh so it's my fault?" Haley fired back.

"You distracted me!" Nathan reasoned.

Haley laughed bitterly. "Oh my god. I cannot believe you are blaming me for Jackson's accident when you were the one who was supposed to be watching him. You took your eye off him, you're the irresponsible one…you're the one to blame, not me."

"You know, I bet if this whole Lindsey thing was going on, you wouldn't blame me at all," Nathan pointed out. "You're blaming me because Lindsey kissed me and you're upset. But for the last time, I did not kiss Lindsey."

"This has nothing to do with that. I do not want you to be an absentee parent, even if we are not together," Haley said.

"I am not an absentee father. This was one time and it was a mistake!" Nathan yelled.

"Yeah, well that _one time, _could cost our son's life," Haley said.

"How many times do I have to apologize?"

"Apologizing won't take back your actions," Haley said.

"I-"

"Mr. and Mrs. Scott?" the doctor asked them. Quickly, they both stood up in front of the doctor.

"Yes, doctor? How is he doing?" Haley asked.

"Luckily, he's breathing alright. We had to do CPR numerous of times, but we finally got the water out of this body. You're lucky you found him when you did. A couple minutes later, he would have a pretty slim chance of living considering how much water would go into his body.

"Can we see him?" Haley asked impatiently. She was so relieved that Jackson was okay. She didn't know what she would do if he didn't make it tonight. He was one of the best things that ever happened to her. The other three were Jamie, Lydia, and of course, Nathan, despite all the fighting they were having.

"Of course," the doctor answered.

The doctor led Nathan and Haley to one of the rooms. They opened the door to see Jackson lying on the hospital bed with an IV attached to him. His lips were swollen from the water and his eyes from shut closed. His hair was still drenched with water and his skin was deathly pale.

"I'll just leave you two alone with him," the doctor said.

"Wait, doc," Haley stopped him. The doctor turned around.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Our son is conscious, right?" Haley asked.

"He is indeed, yes, conscious. I don't know if he'll wake up now, as he is sleeping, but you can see," the doctor said and then left the room.

Haley sat down next to Jackson in one of the chairs while Nathan sat in the other.

Haley put her hand on her son's forehead. "Hey, baby."

Jackson's blue eyes fluttered open and he looked at her with fatigue. "Momma."

"It's me, baby. It's me and daddy," Haley said, acknowledging Nathan. "Are you okay?"

"I'm cold and I'm tired. I just want to sleep," Jackson answered.

"Sleep all you want, Jack. We'll be here all night," Haley promised him.

Soon enough, Jackson fell asleep, leaving Nathan and Haley sitting next to each other in silence.

"Haley, can we talk some more?" Nathan whispered.

Haley stayed silent.

"Hales, please? I'm sorry," Nathan tried again.

Haley didn't answer.

Nathan sighed. "Please, babe. I won't make the same mistakes I did before."

Haley didn't make a sound.

"Can you please say something? To let me know you're listening?" Nathan pleaded.

Haley turned her head and looked at him.

"Fine. You want me to say something?" Haley asked him.

Nathan nodded. "Anything."

Haley looked at him. "I want a divorce."

* * *

**Thoughts? Feelings? Likes? Dislikes?**


	7. I'm Done

**AN: Here's Chapter Seven. Just one note; I realized that the reviews are dropping, so I would like to encourage everyone to review after they read each updated chapter, as it usually helps me right the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

_"I was thinking about the finality of it all – how somebody can leave your world in the blink of an eye and be gone forever. It's too enormous to think about. It's too hard. And then you're just supposed to go on, right, like just deal with it, I mean really you're only supposed to be sad for as long as the flowers last and then, oh, time to go back to telling jokes and reminiscing about the old days. I don't have any jokes to tell. As a matter in fact I hope I never hear another joke as long as I live. And the old days are just that, they're old days, that are… gone."_  
_-Haley James Scott_

**Chapter 7: I'm Done**

"Oh my gosh. Jackson was face first in the water?" Brooke asked incredulously. Haley nodded solemnly. "Tell me what happened," Brooke demanded.

Brooke and Haley were in Brooke and Lucas's room. Nathan was still at his and Haley's house while Lucas was making cookies with the kids in the kitchen. He was going to take them outside so they could run around for a little bit, but Haley said she didn't want Jackson around the water for a little bit. Lucas understood that and suggested cooking instead. Haley was fine with that as long as Jackson, or any of her kids, got near the stove, oven, microwave, or any other hot surface. She was very over-protective of her kids these days, ever since the incident.

"I'd just gotten home from my run when I saw Nathan here. I had no idea what he was doing here, but he said he wanted to talk about the whole Lindsey situation. I agreed to talk, but I first wanted to know where the kids were. He said Jamie and Lydia were upstairs playing Wii in the guest room, but Jackson was outside playing basketball all alone-"

"Alone?" Brooke interrupted. Haley nodded. "What was Nathan thinking? It was probably too late, wasn't it? And even if it wasn't, Nathan still should have been watching Jackson. He's four years old. He's so young."

"That's what I said. Well, I told Nathan that he should be watching Jackson, but he said that he could already see him through the window. I looked through the window, but I couldn't see him. In panic, Nathan and I rushed outside to see Jackson floating face first in your pool. We got him out, but he was unconscious and he wouldn't wake up. Nathan called the paramedics, we got Jackson to the hospital, and he finally woke up after the doctors were able to get the water out of his body," Haley explained.

"What about Jamie and Lydia? You just left them at the house?" Brooke asked.

Haley shook her head. "No, I would never do that. When we were in the ambulance, I called Jake and Peyton to watch Jamie and Lydia."

"You could've called me, Tutor Mom," Brooke offered.

"I know, Tigger. But you were with your parents and Jake and Peyton were already so close. Besides, Jake told me that Jenny and Jason were staying with his parents for the night," Haley told Brooke.

"That must've been really traumatic for Jackson since he's so little," Brooke sighed.

"Yeah, I know, but he's doing fine, I think. I talked to him after he was released. He was just really tired, so we gave him some medicine and let him sleep for a little," Haley said.

"Why isn't Nathan here?" Brooke asked.

"I'm not trying to keep Nathan from the kids if that's what you're thinking. He wanted some time alone to think as well," Haley answered.

"Are you ever going to forgive him?" Brooke asked.

"I don't know. I was thinking about it, but after this accident, I don't know. He was irresponsible with our son, Brooke. He wasn't even watching Jackson. How can I trust him around him if he acts like he could care less?" Haley stated.

"Do you still love him?" Brooke asked.

"With all my heart I do."

"Then why is it so hard to forgive him? He made some mistakes, Hales, but I think he deserves forgiveness," Brooke said.

"It's not that easy, Brooke. You know that I can't trust easily. It's so complicated. And, I don't know if he loves me anymore after what I told him," Haley muttered.

"What'd you tell him?" Brooke asked curiously.

Haley sighed. "I told him I wanted a divorce," she revealed.

Brooke widened her eyes. "What? Why?"

"I don't know. It was kind of out of the moment. I was just so angry with him for not watching Jackson and I was worried and tired and I don't know. I don't want a divorce, but I can't forgive him yet."

"You guys should talk," Brooke advised.

"He doesn't want to talk. I can understand why. I pushed him away. God, I'm such a bad wife," Haley cried, rubbing her face with her hands.

Brooke put her hand on Haley's back. "You're not a bad wife. He didn't tell Lindsey about you or the kids, he then never told you about the kiss, and then he forgot to watch your son, which almost cost Jackson his life. You have nothing to be sorry for."

Haley smiled slightly. "I need some time. But I also need to talk to Nathan. Even though we're fighting, I still miss him. So much."

"I know he misses you too, Hales. He just needs to realize what an amazing person you are," Brooke said.

Haley sighed and nodded. "Thanks Brooke."

"Sure," Brooke answered.

Haley got up. "I need to go check on Jackson again."

Brooke laughed and got up as well. "You just did like ten minutes ago."

"I need to make sure he's okay," Haley insisted, leaving the room with Brooke following her.

Haley walked into the kitchen to see Lucas with the kids. The kids were watching TV while Lucas was checking the oven to see if their food was ready.

"Hey little man," Haley said to Jackson. Jackson looked up and focused his eyes on his mother. He smiled.

"Hi Momma," he greeted her.

"Can I talk to you outside?" Haley asked. Jackson nodded and he followed her outside to Brooke and Lucas's patio.

"Why are we here?" Jackson asked, looking at the pool that was only a few feet away from him and Haley.

"The accident…when you fell into the pool the other day. How are you doing, baby?" she asked him.

He stepped a little further away from the pool. "I'm scared."

"Of what?" she asked worriedly.

"Falling in again. Having Daddy not protect me like he didn't last time. I could've died, Momma. I'm four and I'm young, but I'm not naïve. I know what could've happened if you hadn't come home. If you hadn't come home, you would probably be at my funeral now," Jackson said.

Haley widened her eyes at that. "Jackson-"

"Does Daddy love me?" he asked, his blue eyes looking at her.

"Of course he does-"

"Then why wasn't he watching me? He just left me outside alone," Jackson said.

Haley didn't know the full story. "What really happened, baby?"

Jackson sighed. "It was really bad, Momma."

_Flashback:_

_"Daddy! You're home," Jackson shouted with joy, running up to his father. However, Nathan was in another world, daydreaming about Haley. He wasn't paying attention to his son right now._

_He looked down and gave Jackson a slight smile. "Hey buddy."_

_"Are you and Mom gonna be together again?" Jamie asked, coming up behind Jackson._

_"I don't know, little man," Nathan sighed._

_"Can we play Wii?" Lydia asked, joining her two brothers._

_"Yeah, sure, sure, whatever," Nathan said distractedly. He felt bad. He couldn't focus on his kids because all he was thinking about was Haley. But in all honesty, his kids didn't seem to matter right now. All he was thinking about was how to get his wife back in his arms._

_"Yes, thanks dad!" Jamie exclaimed, and then he and Lydia ran upstairs to the guestroom._

_Nathan looked down to see that Jackson was still there. "You gonna go with your brother and sister, Jack?"_

_Jackson shook his head. "Can I play with you?"_

_Nathan sighed. He didn't have time for this right now. "I'm sorry, buddy, but I can't right now. I have things to do. Maybe some other time."_

_"But you're never home anymore. I want to play with you now!" Jackson pouted._

_"Jackson-"_

_"I just want to hang out with my daddy," he said._

_Nathan sighed. "Okay, fine. Why don't you go outside to the basketball hoop and try to make five free throws in a row. I'll be out there in a second."_

_Jackson looked at him. "It's kind of late and dark outside," he commented._

_"You'll be fine. You're strong, right, bud? You can handle it. I promise I'll be out there in a minute," Nathan promised his son._

_Jackson nodded and raced outside._

_But instead of going outside with his son, Nathan walked into the kitchen and grabbed a soda from the fridge. He glanced outside the window once before turning on his phone to see if he got any messages from Haley. He didn't. Of course he didn't. She probably hated him._

_Ten minutes passed by and Nathan hadn't gone out to Jackson like he promised. He hadn't even glanced at him once. He didn't seem to care. All he really cared about at that moment was getting Haley back. It was selfish of him, but he couldn't help himself. He wanted his wife back._

_End of Flashback_

Haley widened her eyes. "Your father said that he was watching you."

Jackson shrugged. "He promised me he'd come out. He never did. I looked at the window a couple of times. His back was faced towards me the entire time."

Haley sighed and clenched one fist. "I'm going to have to talk to him about that later."

* * *

"Can I talk to you?" Haley asked Nathan the next night. She made sure her kids were in bed, and once they were fast asleep, she told Brooke she was going to Nathan's, promised she'd be civil, and then left at exactly 10:23 PM.

Nathan looked up, startled, and furrowed his eyebrows. "How'd you get in?" He turned off the TV and stood up so he was towering her by almost a foot. She took a step back. She was usually fine with him being almost a foot taller than her, but tonight, for some reason, it intimidated her a bit.

"This is still _our _house, Nathan. I still have the keys," Haley reminded him.

Nathan shrugged. "Okay, sorry, completely forgot."

"You're surprised I'm here, aren't you?" she asked, sitting down, hoping that he would too so that she wouldn't feel so short. He did and she smiled. He knew her so well.

"Yeah, I guess I am," Nathan said, scratching the back of his head.

"I just, I want to talk about Jackson's accident more. About what happened that night," Haley explained.

Nathan sighed and nodded, gesturing for her to start.

"I talked to Jackson about the accident. He asked me if you loved him," she began.

Nathan looked at her with his dark blue eyes. "What? Of course I love him. With all my heart I do," he promised her.

"I know, I know. That's what I told him. Don't worry about it," she said.

"Why'd he asked that?" Nathan asked, confused.

"He uh, he said that the accident...it was because you didn't protect him that night. That's why he thought you didn't love him. Because you didn't save him from almost drowning," Haley told him.

"What? I'm the one who took him out of the pool," Nathan said, his voice raising a little bit.

"Yeah, but after I came home," Haley snapped.

"Haley-"

"He told me that you never came out to watch him. You told him that you would come outside to play basketball with him, but you never did! He doesn't think you love him, Nathan! You're own son doesn't think his father loves him anymore. Do you know where that puts me? I'm the mother who has to explain something to her four-year-old son that I should never have to explain. And of course, I need to lie to him and sugarcoat it, because what four year old wants to hear that his father just wasn't paying attention to him that night, huh?" Haley screamed.

"I'm sorry-"

"You should be. I want a real reason. Why weren't you watching him?"

"I was distracted-"

"Be honest with me, Nathan. Did you ever even glance at your son while he was outside all alone?" Haley asked, putting her hands on her hips. "Tell me the truth."

He sighed. "No," he said straightforwardly.

And that's when Haley lost it. "Why!? How could you be so irresponsible? How could you care so little about your own son?"

"I just wasn't paying attention. I was thinking solely about you and how I could make everything up to you," he reasoned.

"So you forgot all about your responsibilities as a parent? Tell me Nathan, do you love our kids?" Haley began.

He nodded. "Of course I do. You know that, Hales."

"And do you love me?" she asked, this time biting down on her bottom lip, awaiting an answer.

He nodded again, this time more eagerly. "With all my heart I do."

"And if you had to, which one would you pick? Me or your children?" she asked.

"That's not fair. You cannot make me choose between my wife and my children. It doesn't work that way. I would never have to pick between the two," Nathan answered.

"So why did you pick me that night?" she asked, explaining the logic behind her question. Of course she would never make Nathan pick. That would be so unbelievably wrong. She just wanted him to understand that his two priorities had to be at the same level of attention.

"What?" he asked.

"You were distracted because you were thinking about me, you said. But that means you picked me that night. You acted like you could care less about Jackson. He saw that, Nathan! He told me that he saw your back turned towards him the entire time before he almost drowned! Do you know how that makes him feel?" Haley yelled.

"I'm sorry-"

"You told me you were watching him. When we were at the hospital, you said you were watching him through the window, but you weren't! YOU LIED TO ME!" she yelled, now tears running down her face.

"Haley-"

"Why did you lie?! Why did you act like you didn't care about our son! WHY NATHAN? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME? YOU SAID ALWAYS AND FOREVER. WHEN YOU PROMISED ME THAT, YOU SAID YOU WOULD NEVER LIE TO ME!"

"I-"

"You lied," she muttered.

"I'm sorry. Yes, I lied, but-"

"Why?" she asked.

He sighed. "Because if I told you that I was the cause of Jackson's accident, that would've disappointed you so much. I didn't want you to look down at me even though you are so much more of a good person than me. I lied because honestly, I never wanted you to find out that I was the cause. I never wanted you to know, Hales," he admitted.

"So instead I have to find out from my four year old? That's bullshit, Nathan, and you know it," she said.

"I just want you to look at me the way you used to," he muttered.

"Don't you understand, Nathan?" she said. "I still do love you. I always will. I just can't trust you around our children or me after everything that's happened. Between Lindsey and Jackson's accident, I don't know what to do anymore."

"I want us to work this out, Haley," he begged.

"And so do I. But you pushed me away. Made me feel like you were a million miles away while you were with Lindsey. It made me feel that you didn't want me anymore. That you were getting sick of just me and that you wanted to find another girl. And I know you love me, but I'm just so disappointed in what has happened over these last few weeks. I can't take this anymore, Nathan. I can't take this stress anymore. You know it's not good for the baby," she said.

"I know. But I want to be there for you and the baby. I want us to be together as a family again," he pleaded.

Haley sighed. "I know you want that. You will still be here for your son. And maybe, in time, we can be a really family again. But right now, I'm in a bad place right now. I don't know when I'll be able to trust you again."

"Hales-"

"I'm sorry Nathan, but I'm done. I can't do this anymore," she said. She kissed his cheek softly and then stood up.

"I will always love you Nathan. You know that. Always and forever. I just can't trust you."

She grabbed her bag and her jacket and began walking to the front door. Nathan stood up behind her and grabbed her wrist.

Without thinking, he leaned in and forcefully kissed her. Haley wanted to kiss him, but she didn't want to lead him on. She wasn't ready.

Breaking the kiss, she sighed. "Stop that. We're not together anymore."

"But I want us to be," he said.

"But we aren't. I'm sorry. Goodbye Nathan," Haley said, tears running down her face. She left the house, her hands trembling and her eyes bloodshot and red. Like the last few weeks, the only thing she felt was pain. She was slowly drowning and the water was only getting higher.

* * *

"Where's Mr. Scott?" the doctor asked.

Haley was currently at the doctor's for her monthly checkup on the baby. The doctor who was with her today was the same doctor who helped deliver Jamie, Lydia, and Jackson. He said he would probably help deliver Liam as well.

"He's not here today," she muttered.

"May I ask why?" he asked, rubbing the gel on her stomach.

"He and I, we uh, we split up a few weeks ago," she revealed to the doctor.

The doctor stopped rubbing the gel on her stomach in surprise. "What? Really? I didn't imagine. Didn't you two get married in high school? You're the couple who's been married for about ten years, am I correct?"

"Yeah, that's us."

"Why'd you two break up? You seemed so in love. Are you getting a divorce?" the doctor asked.

"We split up because I had some trust issues with him. He was caught with another girl by two of my friends. The girl kissed him, but he sort of led her on by never telling the girl about our children or me. And then, my son, Jackson, fell into the pool and almost drowned because Nathan wasn't watching him. Nathan actually admitted that he wasn't paying attention to Jackson that night," Haley explained.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Scott...or are you going by Ms. James now?"

"I don't know if we're going to get a divorce. We're talking. I don't want to, but if we can't work things out, then I'm afraid we have to. I don't want it to come down to that," Haley said.

The doctor nodded. "It looks like your son is healthy like always. Mr. Scott will still be here for the baby, right?"

Haley shrugged. "I mean, I would hope so, but we had a huge fight the other night. I told him that he should still be here for the baby, but he told me that he wanted us to be a family again, not just a father to my children. So who knows if he'll be here. I think we both need some time to ourselves to just think for a little bit and just breathe for a second," Haley explained.

"It'll get better, Mrs. Scott. I really think you two can work things out," the doctor said.

"I hope so," Haley breathed out.

* * *

"What the hell are you doing here, Chris?" Nathan asked, about to shut the door. He was cooking himself breakfast when he heard the doorbell ring. Initially, he didn't want to open the door because he thought it was Haley and he really didn't feel like fighting now, but the person at the other side of the door was Chris Keller. He was no better than Haley.

"Chris Keller wants to talk to you, Nate," Chris smirked, talking about himself in third person like always.

"I don't want to talk to you," Nathan said. "I'm going through a hard time right now, so can you just leave me alone?"

"Whoa, whoa. I'm not here to cause you any trouble. I just…I heard you and Haley split up," Chris began.

Nathan shrugged. "Yeah, so?"

"Are you gonna try to get her back?" Chris asked.

Nathan shrugged again. "I don't know. I love her, but she doesn't trust me. I don't know how to get her back."

"Well I suggest you don't get her back at all," Chris advised.

Nathan looked at him. "Why?"

"It's obvious Haley doesn't trust you. You guys split up for a reason. Maybe you two weren't meant to be after all. I think you should move on to someone else," Chris suggested.

"Why would I give up on my wife?" Nathan asked angrily.

"I just think you should move on. If Haley can't trust you, then why would you want to be with her? What kind of love can you guys share if she can't even trust her own husband?" Chris asked.

"It's my fault," Nathan shot back. "I have to admit, I would never tell Haley this, but when Lindsey flirted with me, I might've flirted back just a little bit," Nathan admitted.

"So you technically cheated on her," Chris concluded.

"I didn't cheat on her. I just, I think I needed it-"

"Why?" Chris asked.

"Because Haley never flirts with me anymore. She's always so focused on work and kids. I love her and I need her to act like she loves me back," Nathan answered.

"Don't you understand Nate? Haley does love you. With all her heart she does. But you act like you don't love her. Hanging out with Lindsey, flirting with Lindsey, letting Lindsey kiss you…and then this accident Haley's sister told me about. It's just, _you _don't act like you love her," Chris explained.

"But I do," Nathan persisted.

"It doesn't show, Nathan. Haley is pregnant and you're putting her through all this shit. Doesn't that make you feel bad?" Chris asked.

"Of course I don't want her to go through this right now. But I didn't intend for this to happen-"

"You could've stopped it Nathan. You could've told Lindsey that you were married from the start. There are things that you could've done to prevent this whole thing, but you never did. Do me a favor. Save Haley the heartbreak and move on," Chris advised.

"I can't just move on that quickly from the love of my life," Nathan snapped.

"I know it takes time. But you've hurt Haley enough. She cannot go through all of this right now. You'd be a bad husband to keep on hurting Haley like this, whether you mean it or not," Chris explained.

Nathan fell silent at this. Chris was right. No matter what he did, he always ended up hurting Haley. He didn't want that for her. It wasn't good for the baby or for her.

"Let me ask you something, Nathan. Do you love Haley?" Chris started.

"Of course," Nathan replied honestly.

"And do you like seeing her get hurt?" Chris continued.

This time, Nathan shook his head. "Not at all."

"Then why are you the one hurting her? As her husband, aren't you supposed to protect her from this kind of pain? You know, they say that the mental pain hurts the most. Because those mental scars never really heal, unlike physical scars that can go away in time," Chris explained.

"I don't want to hurt Haley. I love her," Nathan said.

"If you love her, then let her go. She deserves to be free of this heartbreak that she's going through, Nate. Let her go."

* * *

_One Week Later..._

It was about 10:30 PM on a Saturday night. Even though Nathan and Haley were both in Tree Hill, it seemed as though the two were a million miles apart. Haley missed him and she now was actually considering forgiving him so that they could work out these trust issues and maybe get back together. Nathan, on the other hand, decided that he should move on from Haley to stop hurting her and putting her through all this pain. He thought it was best for her, even if he still loved her.

Nathan walked up to a familiar house and knocked on the door. Soon enough, the person he was looking for opened the door with a confused look.

"Nathan?" Lindsey asked. "What are you doing here?"

"What? I can't see my friend who just came back to Tree Hill after so long?" Nathan teased.

"No, it's not that I'm not happy to see you, it's just…last time I did, I kissed you and you ran off to your wife. I thought that the kiss made our friendship kind of rocky," Lindsey explained.

Nathan shook her head. "No, no, I've just been busy and distracted these last few weeks. That kiss didn't affect our friendship, I promise."

Lindsey nodded. "So when can I meet Haley?"

Nathan stiffened. "I'm afraid you can't."

Lindsey looked confused. "Why not?"

"Because…because Haley and I split up," he revealed to her.

Lindsey widened her eyes. "Oh my gosh, Nathan, why?" she asked.

"She had some trust issues," he answered.

"Because of me?" she sighed.

Nathan shook his head. "No, no, it's my fault."

"Nate, I feel bad. Your split happened because I kissed you, wasn't it?" Lindsey blamed herself.

"No, I led you on. It's not your fault, Lindsey," he assured her.

She sighed. "Okay. So what are you doing here?"

"I was thinking about it. Since Haley and I split up, I figured I should move on, you know? Find someone else."

"And what does that have to do with me?" Lindsey asked.

"I was thinking…we're both single…so why don't we hook up?" Nathan explained.

"You mean have one of those meaningless one night stands?" Lindsey asked.

"It wouldn't be meaningless. You and I already know each other really well. And who knows? Maybe, after this hook up, we could be a couple or something," Nathan said.

Lindsey sighed. "Okay, Nathan, I know you're hurting, but you can't go around sleeping with other girls while you're still married to your wife," she snapped.

"I'm not married anymore," Nathan defended himself.

"Yes, but I know you still love Haley. And I know you want to get back together with her. Hooking up will not get you back with Haley. So go home and go to sleep. Think about it," Lindsey said, pushing him out of her house.

Nathan sighed and sat there contemplating what he should do. He didn't know.

* * *

Nathan woke up the next morning in bed. His head was hurting and he felt like throwing up. It was a hangover, probably, from drinking too much last night. Instead of going home like Lindsey advised him, he went straight to the bar to get really drunk to forget about his troubles with Haley.

"Hey babe," a voice said to him.

Nathan was startled. He looked to the side of the bed to see a girl underneath the covers wearing absolutely nothing.

It was Rachel.

"Rachel?" Nathan asked. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Don't you remember, baby?" she asked seductively, kissing his neck.

Nathan felt his stomach drop. "Did we…last night…um-"

"Of course we had sex," Rachel smirked. "I've always waited for this day to come."

Memories from last night began coming back to Nathan all at once. He couldn't control them. And he couldn't believe he slept with Rachel. What had he done?

_Flashback:_

_"H-hey….heeyyy Rachel," Nathan greeted Rachel, already really drunk._

_Rachel turned around and smirked. "How you doing, sexy?"_

_"We….we broke up," Nathan said._

_"Who?"_

_"H-Haaleey and I b-broke up," Nathan slurred, slightly smirking._

_Rachel smirked back. "So you're a single babe, huh?"_

_"Yup. Always…and forever a single guy," Nathan answered._

_"Well, what are you going to do about it?" Rachel asked._

_Instead, Nathan pulled Rachel in for a hard kiss. She immediately kissed back, her arms running up and down his chest. He sat down on one of the bar chairs and she sat on his lap, still kissing him. She grinded her hips against him as he moaned in pleasure._

_As she began kissing his neck, he whispered in her ear, "let's get out of here."_

_Rachel nodded and got off of him, pulling him to the exit. Rachel grabbed her car keys from her purse and put the into the ignition as soon as she and Nathan got in the car. She didn't drink much tonight, so she was okay to drive._

_"Luckily, your house isn't very far," Rachel smirked._

_"Good. I can't wait to have you, Rach," Nathan slurred._

_"Me too, babe," Rachel said. She knew he was drunk and he didn't know what he was doing, but this was a once in a lifetime experience. She was about to sleep with the Nathan Scott. The guy she had been crushing on since she arrived to Tree Hill. But Haley was always in the way. However, now that Haley was out of the picture, Rachel could have Nathan all to herself._

_They arrived to Nathan's house and walked in after Nathan fumbled to open the door with his keys. Rachel kissed him again and he kissed back as they staggered to the bedroom. Rachel wrapped her legs around Nathan's waist and he carried her the rest of the way._

_Pushing Rachel down onto the bed, he quickly took his shirt off and kissed her again._

_"Wait, wait," Rachel stopped him._

_"What?" Nathan asked._

_"We should probably close the door," Rachel suggested._

_Nathan nodded, got off of Rachel, and closed the door, leaving only them in Nathan's bedroom, making Nathan completely forget about Haley._

_End of Flashback_

"Shit," Nathan cursed himself. "Rachel, you need to leave. Now."

"Why baby? We had such a good time last night. Why don't we do it again?" Rachel asked, giving him a seductive smile.

Nathan looked at her. This was moving on, right? "I don't know, Rachel. I mean, what about Haley?"

"Your wife is out of the picture. She can't trust you. She doesn't love you. Why waste your time with her when you can have me?" Rachel asked.

Not thinking, Nathan kissed her, easily persuaded by Rachel's words. He hated kissing Rachel, but in that moment, he was just imagining that Rachel was Haley.

Nathan and Rachel were in their own world, so they didn't hear or notice the door open. The person at the other side of the door gasped.

"N-Nathan?" the person asked.

Nathan quickly broke the kiss, looked up at the person, and widened his eyes.

"Haley?" Nathan gasped.

Haley just looked at him with pain in her eyes. She couldn't believe she just walked in on Nathan and Rachel practically having sex. Her Nathan, the one who promised he'd always be with her, was with another girl. Even though she and Nathan weren't together, it still hurt like hell to see him with Rachel. It was then that she realized that Nathan had given up on their love.

"Haley, this…this isn't what it looks like," Nathan stuttered.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS ISN'T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE! YOU'RE BOTH NAKED IN _OUR _BED, YOU'RE KISSING WHEN I WALK IN, AND YOU'RE PRACTICALLY ABOUT TO HAVE SEX! DON'T LIE TO ME ANYMORE, NATHAN!" Haley screamed, tears running down her face.

"Hales-"

"Don't call me that. It's Haley. Tell me, Nathan. Did you and Rachel have sex last night?" Haley asked.

"Haley-"

"Tell me!" she snapped.

"Yes, we slept together, but-"

Before he could say anymore, she ran out of the room, tears streaming down her face. She knew they had slept together, but a small part of her was hoping that they didn't and that this whole thing was a big misunderstanding. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case and she was the one getting hurt once again.

"Haley!" he called out, but he got no response in return. Once again, he screwed up everything with Haley.

* * *

"Luke, Jake, you have to go comfort Haley," Brooke cried, Peyton standing next to her. Lucas and Jake had just come back from a workout at the river court with the other guys, besides Nathan, of course. The kids were outside in the backyard with Karen and Keith.

"Why, what's wrong, babe?" Lucas asked, setting the basketball down on the floor next to the other sports equipment.

"She's been crying all morning. She left early in the morning to go and talk to Nathan about something, but she came back crying her eyes out. She's been full on sobbing for about four hours at least," Brooke explained.

"Damn it. What happened? Do you know?" Lucas asked.

Brooke sighed. "Swear you two won't freak out?"

Jake and Lucas slowly nodded.

"Haley walked in on Nathan and Rachel in bed," Brooke revealed.

"WHAT!?" Lucas and Jake both exploded.

"How the hell could he do this to her!?" Lucas screamed.

"What the hell was Nathan thinking? His head is where his ass his supposed to be, that's what!" Jake yelled.

"You guys promised you wouldn't freak out," Peyton said.

"We didn't know it would be this," Jake said.

"Did you try to calm her down?" Lucas asked.

"Of course we did. Peyton and I tried everything, but she's hurting more than ever, Luke. Nathan gave up on her; on them. He stooped so low to sleep with Rachel, who's been trying to split them up since senior year in high school. She's absolutely crushed and heartbroken. I don't know how she'll get through this, Lucas," Brooke cried.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Jake and I will go talk to her. Can you and Peyton order some lunch for the kids? We'll be out with Haley as soon as we can," Lucas promised.

Brooke nodded and then she and Peyton went to the kitchen to call up a take out restaurant. They didn't feel like cooking today. They were so angry with Nathan and Rachel and they were dreading the time when Haley would have to tell her kids about this.

Lucas and Jake walked into the guestroom to see Haley full on sobbing on the floor. Tissues were scattered around the room, a bottle of aspirin was lying on the ground, and pictures of her and Nathan were torn up on the ground.

Lucas rushed over to Haley and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned into his hug and cried harder. "Lucas…"

"I'm here, Haley. I'm here for you," he soothed her.

"He…he betrayed me…he slept with R-Rachel…how could he?" she cried.

"I don't know, Hales. He doesn't know how perfect you are. He is so stupid to sleep with Rachel because it is obvious that you are the love of his life," Lucas comforted her.

Jake sat down next to them. "You know, Lucas and I are going to have to beat him up for this. And then he's going to cry like a sissy girl," Jake said, trying to cheer her up.

It didn't work. Haley only continued to cry. "I can't forgive him for this. Does that make me a bad wife?"

"Of course not," Lucas assured her. "He made a huge mistake. He knew what he was doing when he slept with her- drunk or not drunk- he has control for his actions and he slept with her. It's your choice if you want to forgive him after this, Hales. I just don't want you to make a decision that will lead you to being heartbroken once again."

Haley smiled just a bit. "Thanks for being here for me."

"Of course," Jake and Lucas both answered.

* * *

"What's wrong, Momma?" Jackson asked Haley. It was evening now and Haley finally gathered all her strength to face the real world and come out of the guestroom. She had to tell her kids what was going on. She couldn't hide if from them. She loved them to keep secrets from them.

"It was dad, wasn't it?" Jamie asked.

Haley sighed and nodded. "Unfortunately, yes, it's your father."

"Mom, you can't keep doing this," Jamie said. "I love dad, with all my heart I do, but you can't keep putting yourself through all of this pain. You don't deserve it. I know you want to be strong for us, but staying with dad is only hurting you more."

"I love your father, Jamie, but I think you're right. I keep getting hurt by him. It's not good for me or for your unborn brother," she added, referring to Liam.

"What'd he do, Momma?" Lydia asked Haley.

Haley didn't exactly know how to word this properly. She wasn't going to tell her kids about the sex part because obviously, they were too young to learn about those kind of things.

"Well, um…you know Rachel?" Haley started.

They all nodded.

"Your daddy…he kissed Rachel and stuff, which hurts me very much because I love him. He's supposed to love me because we're technically still married, but I guess your father gave up on me and on us. I don't think he loves me anymore," Haley sighed.

"I told you, mom. I don't like seeing you get hurt," Jamie said.

"And I don't like getting hurt," Haley said. "You're right. I think I'm done. I need some time to myself, away from your father for a little while. I can't take this anymore."

* * *

"_Flight twenty three leaving in ten minutes. All boarders should head to the entrance now," _a voice said.

Nathan ran through the airport in order to get onto his flight on time. He handed the lady his ticket and then boarded the plane. Sitting down in his seat, he sighed and looked out the window, seeing Tree Hill.

After Haley ran out when she saw him and Rachel together, he realized that he had, yet again, hurt her more than she or he could imagine. And it was then that he realized that he couldn't hurt her anymore. He had to leave before he caused any more damage. It wasn't good for Haley.

Last night, he made the decision to leave Tree Hill so that he wouldn't cause anyone anymore pain or trouble. He was done hurting people. He didn't want to do this, but he felt that he had to. He wanted to write a note to his children and to Haley, but thought that if he did, he would give in and stay in Tree Hill. He couldn't do that.

Nathan felt awful for not even saying goodbye or even telling anybody were he was going, but he figured his absence would be ignored anyways.

The plane began taking off and Nathan sighed, looking out the window, watching the plane lift him higher and higher.

"Goodbye, Tree Hill. Goodbye Haley. I'm so sorry for this. I love you. Always and forever."

* * *

**Thoughts? By the way, this is NOT the end of the story. There is a lot more left. This story is probably only a quarter done. But yes, the betrayal has finally came, hence the title. But don't worry, there is still a lot left of the story. Please review!**


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